Despite being one of the first eukaryotic transcriptional regulatory elements identified, the sequence of a native TATA box and its significance remain elusive. Applying criteria associated with TATA boxes we queried several Saccharomyces genomes and arrived at the consensus TATA(A/T)A(A/T)(A/G). Approximately 20% of yeast genes contain a TATA box. Strikingly, TATA box-containing genes are associated with responses to stress, are highly regulated, and preferentially utilize SAGA rather than TFIID when compared to TATA-less promoters. Transcriptional regulation in yeast appears to be mechanistically bipolar, possibly reflecting a need to balance inducible stress-related responses with constitutive housekeeping functions.

The TATA binding protein (TBP) is required for the expression of nearly all genes and is highly regulated both positively and negatively. Here, we use DNA microarrays to explore the genome-wide interplay of several TBP-interacting inhibitors in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our findings suggest the following: The NC2 inhibitor turns down, but not off, highly active genes. Autoinhibition of TBP through dimerization contributes to transcriptional repression, even at repressive subtelomeric regions. The TAND domain of TAF1 plays a primary inhibitory role at very few genes, but its function becomes widespread when other TBP interactions are compromised. These findings reveal that transcriptional output is limited in part by a collaboration of different combinations of TBP inhibitory mechanisms.

Identification and Distinct Regulation of Yeast TATA Box-Containing Genes In the article by Basehoar et al. (Cell 116, 699-709, March 2004), we inadvertently omitted a reference to the prior work of Cheng et al. (Current Biology 12, 1828-1832, October 2002), which examined four yeast genes and found them to fall into two distinct classes equivalent to the two described by Basehoar et al. Cheng et al. further demonstrate that class switching occurs when a TATA-less promoter is converted to TATA containing.

Identification and Distinct Regulation of Yeast TATA Box-Containing Genes In the article by Basehoar et al. (Cell 116, 699-709, March 2004), we inadvertently omitted a reference to the prior work of Cheng et al. (Current Biology 12, 1828-1832, October 2002), which examined four yeast genes and found them to fall into two distinct classes equivalent to the two described by Basehoar et al. Cheng et al. further demonstrate that class switching occurs when a TATA-less promoter is converted to TATA containing.