TATA box is usually located at
In canonical Pol II promoters, TATA box is located twenty-five to thirty-five base pairs upstream of transcription start site, typically centered near minus thirty, at precise distance to align polymerase active site with initiator. This spacing is critical because TBP bending orients TFIIB N-terminal ribbon to contact polymerase and to direct opening of DNA downstream. Prokaryotic minus ten Pribnow box functionally analogous to TATA. Promoters lacking TATA utilize downstream promoter element DPE or initiator Inr to recruit TFIID via TAF subunits at alternative positions.
Ref: Lodish et al., Molecular Cell Biology, 9th ed., Chapter 10: TATA box location -30; Berg et al., Biochemistry, Promoter mapping and spacing