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ABSTRACT The discovery of RNA polymerases I, II, and III opened up a new era in gene expression. Here I provide a personal retrospective account of the transformation of the DNA template, as
it evolved from naked DNA to chromatin, in the biochemical analysis of transcription by RNA polymerase II. These studies have revealed new insights into the mechanisms by which
transcription factors function with chromatin to regulate gene expression. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your
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Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional
subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS STRUCTURAL INSIGHTS INTO NUCLEAR TRANSCRIPTION BY EUKARYOTIC DNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASES
Article 03 May 2022 TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS MODULATE RNA POLYMERASE CONFORMATIONAL EQUILIBRIUM Article Open access 22 March 2022 DIVERSE AND UNIFIED MECHANISMS OF TRANSCRIPTION INITIATION IN
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preinitiation complex assembly and selective gene activation. _Cell_ 152, 1021–1036 (2013). Article CAS PubMed Central PubMed Google Scholar Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This
perspective is dedicated to Robert G. (‘Bob’) Roeder in recognition of his immeasurable contributions to the understanding of transcription in eukaryotes. I thank E.P. Geiduschek, S.
Lauberth, G. Kassavetis, J. Fei, G. Cruz, L. Vo ngoc, and C. Huang for reading the manuscript and providing helpful suggestions. I would like to express my gratitude to all of the past and
present members of the Kadonaga laboratory, as well as to colleagues in the chromatin and transcription fields over the years. I apologize for any oversights or omissions. J.T.K. is the
Amylin Chair in the Life Sciences. Research in the Kadonaga laboratory is supported by a grant from the US National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R35
GM118060) to J.T.K. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Section of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA James T. Kadonaga Authors * James T.
Kadonaga View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to James T. Kadonaga. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING
INTERESTS The author declares no competing interests. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PEER REVIEW INFORMATION: Beth Moorefield was the primary editor on this article and managed its editorial process
and peer review in collaboration with the rest of the editorial team. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and
institutional affiliations. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Kadonaga, J.T. The transformation of the DNA template in RNA polymerase II
transcription: a historical perspective. _Nat Struct Mol Biol_ 26, 766–770 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-019-0278-y Download citation * Received: 10 June 2019 * Accepted: 10 July
2019 * Published: 22 August 2019 * Issue Date: September 2019 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-019-0278-y SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to
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