What is the Difference Between TATA Box and Pribnow Box

The key difference between TATA box and Pribnow box is that TATA box is a promoter sequence in eukaryotes and archaea, while Pribnow box is a promoter sequence in bacteria.

A promoter sequence is a sequence in the DNA strand where the transcription of a gene by RNA polymerase begins. This sequence is normally located in the upstream or 5’ end of the transcription initiation site. In the transcription process, transcription factors bind to these promoter regions and initiate the formation of the RNA polymerase complex. Thus, it activates the transcription process. Therefore, the TATA box and Pribnow box are two different types of promoter sequences involved in the transcription process.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a TATA Box (Goldberg–Hogness Box) 
3. What is a Pribnow Box
4. Similarities – TATA Box and Pribnow Box
5. TATA Box vs. Pribnow Box in Tabular Form
6. Summary – TATA Box vs Pribnow Box

What is a TATA Box?

TATA box is a promoter sequence found in the DNA of the archaea and eukaryotes. It is also known as the Goldberg–Hogness box. TATA box contains a consensus sequence characterized by repeating T and A base pairs. This sequence was discovered in 1978 by an American biochemist named David Hogness. The TATA box sequence is known as TATAWAW. W here means either A or T.

The location of the TATA box varies based on the organism. In eukaryotes, the TATA box is located 25 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. In metazoans, the TATA box is located 30 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. On the other hand, in yeast, the TATA box is located from 40 to 100 bp upstream of the transcription start site. The TATA box is the region where the transcription preinitiation complex forms. This happens when a transcription factor II D (TFIID) binds to the TATA box. The conformational changes induced by this binding trigger additional transcription factors and RNA polymerase II to bind to the promoter region. Ultimately, this completes the assembly of the preinitiation complex for the transcription of eukaryotes. Furthermore, mutations, such as deletions, insertions, and point mutations, in the TATA box can lead to changes in phenotype based on the affected gene.

What is a Pribnow Box?

The Pribnow box is the homolog sequence of the TATA box found in bacteria. It is a shorter consensus sequence. David Pribnow discovered the Pribnow box in 1975. The sequence has six nucleotides and is known as TATAAT. This sequence is an essential part of the promoter site on the DNA of bacteria for transcription. The Pribnow box is located 10 base pairs upstream of the bacterial transcription start site.

This sequence has the same function as the TATA box. Therefore, in the transcription, the Pribnow box is bound by a subunit of RNA polymerase during transcription initiation. Moreover, it is the first place where base pairs separate during prokaryotic transcription.

What are the Similarities Between TATA Box and Pribnow Box?

• TATA box and Pribnow box are two different types of promoter sequences involved in transcription.
• TATA box is the homolog of the Pribnow box.
• Both sequences are “AT” rich sequences.
• Both sequences play a pivotal role in the initiations of transcription.
• Mutations in both sequences may change gene expressions.

What is the Difference Between TATA Box and Pribnow Box?

TATA box is a promoter sequence in eukaryotes and archaea, while Pribnow Box is a promoter sequence in bacteria. Thus, this is the key difference between TATA box and Pribnow box. Furthermore, the TATA box was discovered by David Hogness in 1978, while the Pribnow box was discovered by David Pribnow in 1975. Moreover, the TATA box is a comparatively larger sequence, while the Pribnow box is a shorter sequence.

The infographic below presents the differences between TATA box and Pribnow box in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – TATA Box vs. Pribnow Box

The transcription process generates a single-stranded RNA molecule from a double-stranded DNA molecule. The promoter sequence is a DNA sequence in which proteins bind to initiate the transcription. There are different eukaryotic and bacterial promoter sequences such as TATA box, INR box, BRE, CCAAT box, GC box, and Pribnow box. Therefore, the TATA box and the Pribnow box are two different types of promoter sequences involved in transcription. TATA box is a longer consensus sequence in the promoter region of the eukaryotes and archaea, while the Pribnow box is a shorter consensus sequence in the promoter region of the bacteria. So, this summarizes the difference between TATA box and Pribnow box.

Reference:

1. “Tata Box – An Overview.” ScienceDirect.
2. Mandal, Pradeep K, et al. “Structure Elucidation of the Pribnow Box Consensus Promoter Sequence by Racemic DNA Crystallography.” Nucleic Acids Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Image Courtesy:

1. “TATA box interactions” By Luttysar – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “E. coli consensus promoter” By Allen Gathman (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED) via Flickr