Pribnow-Box

The Pribnow box, also Pribnow Schaller box, is a 1975 found by David Pribnow and Heinz Schaller promoter element for gene regulation in transcription, ie the transcription of a gene from DNA into RNA in bacteria and bacteriophages. The Pribnow box is a DNA sequence in the promoter region of prokaryotic genes with the consensus sequence 5'- TATAAT -3 '. This sequence is found about 10 base pairs before the transcription start point, which is why this region is also called the -10 region of the promoter. In eukaryotes, there is a similar sequence, which is called TATA box.

Frequency of occurrence of each base:

In 1977, a total of 21 promoter sequences are known in which there is the above consensus sequence. The distance to the transcription start point is five to seven base pairs.

The prokaryotic promoter consists of the addition of a -35 region (35 base pairs lying in front of the transcriptional start sequence) and possibly other regulatory elements together that are located either at position -41 or -61. The similarity to the consensus sequence of a promoter determines the transcription rate of a gene and thus contributes to the expression level.