Various complexes that contain the core subunits of RNA polymerase II associated with different transcription factors have been isolated from eukaryotes; their precise molecular constitution depends on the purification procedure. We estimated the numbers of various components of such complexes in an HeLa cell by quantitative immunoblotting. The cells were lysed with saponin in a physiological buffer; approximately 140,000 unengaged polymerases (mainly of form IIA) were released. Only approxim...