Inititation
• The polymerase must bind to DNA. This occurs at a specific site called the Promoter
site. Many such sites exist).
• Promoters are 20-200 bases long and there are two important areas in the promoter
sequence.
• 5-10 bases upstream (-10 position) of the gene ‘start’ site is a sequence of bases called the
‘Pribnow Box’
• a sequence about -35 bases away from the transcription start site.