Human DNA TATA boxes and transcription initiation sites. A statistical study.

A statistical study of "TATA", or Hogness, boxes and transcription initiation sites in human DNA protein-coding genes is presented. The range over which the two signal sequences extend is assessed, and their information content is evaluated. The results are compared with those obtained from "general eukaryotic" samples (including sequences from various eukaryotic species and viruses). Statistically significant differences are found for both signals, and are especially noticeable for transcription initiation sites. The possibility that the latter may contain sufficient information to resolve the remaining ambiguity in the position of the transcription start point once a TATA box has been located is explored.