Transcription of the kinetoplastid spliced leader RNA gene

In recent years, much has been learned about the cis-elements controlling t ranscription of the kinetoplastid spliced lender (SL) RNA gene. The SL RNA gene contains the first 39 nucleotides that are trans-spliced on to all nuc lear-derived mRNAs in these organisms. Transcription initiation is determin ed by two precisely spaced upstream elements and transcription termination is directed by the downstream poly-T tract, although the RNA polymerase res ponsible for SL RNA synthesis is still questioned. br this article, David C ampbell, Nancy Sturm and Michael Yu review the field of kinetoplastid SL RN A gene transcription, address past proposals in light of current data and d iscuss some of the differences that appear in the literature.