A sequence of nucleotide bases which are extremely similar among many different genes of different systems. In eukaryotes, this sequence is known as the "TATA box" or the "Hogness box," and it has the general sequence of TATAAAA. In the bacteria Escherichia coli it is known as the "Pribnow box" and has the general sequence of TATAATG. The sequence is most often found in promoters and does important things like binding important proteins (including RNA polymerase) to initiate transcription.