Transcription factories

Transcription factories, in genetics describe the discrete sites where transcription occurs in the cell nucleus, and are an example of a biomolecular condensate. They were first discovered in 1993 and have been found to have structures analogous to replication factories, sites where replication also occurs in discrete sites. The factories contain an RNA polymerase (active or inactive) and the necessary transcription factors (activators and repressors) for transcription. Transcription factories containing RNA polymerase II are the most studied but factories can exist for RNA polymerase I and III; the nucleolus being seen as the prototype for transcription factories. It is possible to view them under both light and electron microscopy. The discovery of transcription factories has challenged the original view of how RNA polymerase interacts with the DNA polymer and it is thought that the presence of factories has important effects on gene regulation and nuclear structure. The first use of the term ‘transcription factory’ was used in 1993 by Jackson and his colleagues who noticed that transcription occurred at discrete sites in the nucleus. This contradicted the original view that transcription occurred at an even distribution throughout the nucleus. The structure of a transcription factory appears to be determined by cell type, transcriptional activity of the cell and also the method of technique used to visualise the structure. The generalised view of a transcription factory would feature between 4 – 30 RNA polymerase molecules and it is thought that the more transcriptionally active a cell is, the more polymerases that will be present in a factory in order to meet the demands of transcription. The core of the factory is porous and protein rich, with the hyperphosphorylated, elongating form polymerases on the perimeter. The type of proteins present include: ribonucleoproteins, co-activators, transcription factors, RNA helicase and splicing and processing enzymes.