The work of Roger Kornberg has provided a much more detailed understanding of the process of transcription in eukaryotes.  Transcription is a highly complex series of events that involves the interaction of numerous proteins and nucleic acids to result in an mRNA strand that can be translated into a protein.  The recognition of promoter sites and enhancer regions located near transcribed genes is vital to the initiation of transcription.  This is accomplished through a mediator protein and through several transcription factors, all of which interact with RNA polymerase to begin the transcription process.  Elongation involves the entry of nucleotides into the active site of RNA polymerase and the selection of matched base pairs to the template DNA strand.  Phosphodiester bond formation leads to a growing RNA strand that exits the RNA polymerase and is cleaved.  The transcriptional process, as described by Kornberg and his colleagues, is complete at this point.  The research presented here has also led to a deeper understanding of the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcription.  The process in eukaryotes is much more complex, especially with regard to gene regulation.  The activity of the death cap mushroom toxin a-amanitin is now more fully understood.  The toxin inhibits the translocation of RNA polymerase during elongation by restraining movement of the helix bridge.  Further understanding of gene expression will lead to advances in a number of research fields, such as stem cells and cancer research.  The great importance of this research and its potential in the future are the reasons Roger Kornberg was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.