Upstream interactions of functional mammalian tRNA gene transcription complexes probed using a heterologous DNA-binding protein.

An oligonucleotide containing the recognition site for the Escherichia coli lac repressor was inserted at various positions in the 5' flanking region of a human serine tRNA gene, and the consequences of binding lac repressor on in vitro transcription by RNA polymerase III were investigated. lac repressor prebound to operator sites centered at positions -9, -15, -35, and -37 upstream of the mature tRNA coding region completely inhibited …