Fine details of transcribing DNA to RNA
To understand this critical cellular process, biologists are studying the fine details of the structural changes involved, and how they are regulated. RNAP complexes vary from one species to another, but a core subset of proteins is found throughout archaeal and eukaryotic life forms. Comparison of archaeal and eukaryotic proteins reveals how structural motifs have been modified during evolution, so that function is maintained while regulation has become more complex in eukaryotic species.