<P> In molecular biology, the TATA box (also called the Goldberg - Hogness box) is a sequence of DNA found in the core promotor region of genes in archaea and eukaryotes . The prokaryotic homolog of the TATA box is called the Pribnow box which has a shorter consensus sequence . </P> <P> The TATA box is considered a non-coding DNA sequence (also known as a cis - regulatory element). It was termed the "TATA box" as it contains a consensus sequence characterized by repeating T and A base pairs . How the term "box" originated is unclear . In the 1980s, while investigating nucleotide sequences in mouse genome loci, the Hogness box sequence was found and "boxed in" at the - 31 position . When consensus nucleotides and alternative ones were compared, homologous regions were "boxed" by the researchers . The boxing in of sequences sheds light on the origin of the term "box". </P>

What structure in prokaryotes is similar to the tata box in eukaryotes