Basal transcription factors

Basal transcription factors are essential proteins that help initiate the process of copying a gene into messenger RNA (mRNA). They assemble at a specific region on the DNA called the promoter, near the start of a gene. Their main role is to recruit and stabilize the RNA polymerase enzyme, which in turn reads the gene's instructions and synthesizes the corresponding mRNA. This process is crucial for gene expression, allowing cells to produce the proteins needed for various functions. Basal transcription factors act as the foundational machinery needed to switch genes on in a controlled and precise way.