Chinese Journal of Nature ›› 2021, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (5): 349-358.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2021.05.005

• Special Issue for Advanced Immunochemical Studies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Structure and transcriptional regulation mechanism of Mediator complex

ZHANG Heqiao, NIE Yan   

  1. Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
  • Received:2021-06-07 Online:2021-10-22 Published:2021-10-22

Abstract: n eukaryotes, the Mediator complex receives transcriptional activation signals carried by transcriptional activators/gene-specific transcription factors and transmits them to the core transcriptional machinery, RNA polymerase II, acting as a bridge in this process. The Mediator complex interacts with RNA polymerase II and various general transcription factors to form the pre-initiation
complex, which is required for the transcription of almost all genes in eukaryotes. The subunit composition of the Mediator complex is complex and varied, and its conformation is flexible. The structural biology and transcriptional regulation mechanism of the Mediator complex have been studied for more than 30 years. In this review, the discovery, function, subunit composition and structural biology of the Mediator complex are summarized, and their possible transcriptional regulatory mechanisms are briefly discussed.