Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Terminators are specific sequences in the DNA molecule that signal the end of transcription. They tell RNA polymerase when it's time to stop adding nucleotides to the growing mRNA strand.
Related terms
Polyadenylation Signal Sequence: A specific sequence in eukaryotic genes that signals where an enzyme should add a string of adenine nucleotides (poly-A tail) at the end of pre-mRNA molecules during processing.
Rho-dependent termination: A type of termination in bacteria where Rho protein recognizes certain signals and causes polyermase to detach from the template strand ending transcription.
Rho-independent termination: Also known as intrinsic termination, is another method used by prokaryotes which doesn't require any additional factors except for RNAP itself.