Transcription Elongation

Transcription is traditionally described in three phases, namely initiation, elongation and termination. All three are subject to regulation by proteins that bind the DNA, affecting the rate of each phase. There is evidence from experiments performed in vitro that transcription elongation is enhanced in the presence of transcription factor IIF (TFIIF). This role for TFIIF is distinct from its well-characterized and critical role in transcription initiation. My aim is to characterize the molecular interactions that underlie the action of TFIIF in elongation, and to distinguish these interactions from those that control transcription initiation.

Much of this work is being done in collaboration with Dr. Fred Winston's lab in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.