Early work established the TATA box as the predominant DNA element of core promoters which directed accurate transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II. This element is recognized by TATA-binding protein (TBP), the central DNA-binding subunit of TFIID. In vitro binding and structural experiments indicate that TBP has a strong preference for TATA and induces severe DNA bending. Recent in vivo studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicate that TBP turnover is higher at TATA-containing than at TATA-less promoters; this turnover seems to be regulated by NC2 and Mot1p. We propose that bending of TATA by TBP acts in synergy with NC2 and Mot1p to release TBP more rapidly from TATA promoters in vivo, thus providing a rationale for the predominance of TATA boxes in highly regulated promoters versus constitutively active TATA-less promoters.