Control of elongation by RNA polymerase II

The elongation stage of eukaryotic mRNA synthesis can be regulated by trans cription factors that interact directly with the RNA polymerase II (pol II) elongation complex and by activities that modulate the structure of its ch romatin template. Recent studies have revealed new elongation factors and h ave implicated the general initiation factors TFIIE, TFIIF and TFIIH, as we ll as the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of pol II, in elon gation. The recently reported high-resolution crystal structure of RNA poly merase II, which provides insight into the architecture of the elongation c omplex, marks a new era of investigation into transcription elongation.