During evolution, many cellular factors have been selected for their ability to perform multiple functions. This multifunctionality enables communication between distinct cellular processes, such as ...

Life's instructions are written in DNA, but it is the enzyme RNA polymerase II (Pol II) that reads the script, transcribing RNA in eukaryotic cells and eventually giving rise to proteins. Scientists ...

The current model is that the influenza virus polymerase (FluPol) binds either to host RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) or to the acidic nuclear phosphoprotein 32 (ANP32), which drives its conformation and ...

The enzyme RNA polymerase II transcribes genes into messenger RNA. This process is guided by modifications to the enzyme's "tail" called phosphorylation patterns. Scientists at St. Jude Children's ...

Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have uncovered new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of RNA polymerase II (Pol II), the protein responsible for ...

There are plenty of unanswered questions about the origin of life on Earth. But the research community has largely reached consensus that one of the key steps was the emergence of an RNA molecule that ...