page_title: TATA box
section_title: Sequence and prevalence
hierarchical_section_title: TATA box / Structure / Sequence and prevalence
caption_attribution_description: English: Mechanism for TATA box initiation. The transcription enchancers, TATA box binding protein (TBP), and RNA polymerase are all recruited to begin transcription.
context_page_description: In molecular biology, the TATA box is a sequence of DNA found in the core promoter region of genes in archaea and eukaryotes. The bacterial homolog of the TATA box is called the Pribnow box which has a shorter consensus sequence.
  The TATA box is considered a non-coding DNA sequence. It was termed the "TATA box" as it contains a consensus sequence characterized by repeating T and A base pairs. How the term "box" originated is unclear. In the 1980s, while investigating nucleotide sequences in mouse genome loci, the Hogness box sequence was found and "boxed in" at the -31 position. When consensus nucleotides and alternative ones were compared, homologous regions were "boxed" by the researchers. The boxing in of sequences sheds light on the origin of the term "box".
  The TATA box was first identified in 1978 as a component of eukaryotic promoters. Transcription is initiated at the TATA box in TATA-containing genes. The TATA box is the binding site of the TATA-binding protein and other transcription factors in some eukaryotic genes. Gene transcription by RNA polymerase II depends on the regulation of the core promoter by long-range regulatory elements such as enhancers and silencers.
context_section_description: The TATA box is a component of the eukaryotic core promoter and generally contains the consensus sequence 5'-TATA(A/T)A(A/T)-3'. In yeast, for example, one study found that various Saccharomyces genomes had the consensus sequence 5'-TATA(A/T)A(A/T)(A/G)-3', yet only about 20% of yeast genes even contained the TATA sequence. Similarly, in humans only 24% of genes have promoter regions containing the TATA box. Genes containing the TATA-box tend to be involved in stress-responses and certain types of metabolism and are more highly regulated when compared to TATA-less genes. Generally, TATA-containing genes are not involved in essential cellular functions such as cell growth, DNA replication, transcription, and translation because of their highly regulated nature.
  The TATA box is usually located 25-35 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. Genes containing the TATA box usually require additional promoter elements, including an initiator site located just upstream of the transcription start site and a downstream core element (DCE). These additional promoter regions work in conjunction with the TATA box to regulate initiation of transcription in eukaryotes.
caption: Figure 2. Mechanism for transcription initiation at the TATA box. Transcription factors, TATA binding protein (TBP), and RNA polymerase II are all recruited to begin transcription.
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