Gene Expression Basics
This molecule carries the genetic information from DNA to ribosomes for protein synthesis.
What is mRNA?
These transcription factors bind to specific DNA sequences to activate gene expression.
What are activators?
After transcription, this molecule is processed by splicing to remove non-coding regions.
What is pre-mRNA?
The cellular site where translation occurs.
What is the ribosome?
The process of adding phosphate groups to proteins to regulate their function.
What is phosphorylation?
The region of DNA where RNA polymerase binds to initiate transcription.
What is the promoter?
Transcription factors that inhibit gene expression by blocking activator binding or by recruiting repressive machinery
What are repressors?
The non-coding sequences removed during RNA processing.
What are introns?
This factor helps the ribosome recognize the start codon on mRNA.
What is initiation factor?
Proteins destined for degradation are often tagged with this small protein.
What is ubiquitin?
This process regulates gene expression by turning genes on or off in response to external stimuli.
What is gene regulation?
This type of transcription factor can change gene expression in response to environmental signals.
What is inducible transcription factor?
This modification is added to the 5' end of eukaryotic mRNA and protects it from degradation.
What is the 5' cap?
Regulation of gene expression by controlling the translation rate of mRNAs is an example of this level of control.
What is translational control?
A covalent modification commonly added to histones that affects gene expression.
What is acetylation?
DNA-binding proteins that influence the rate of transcription are called this.
What are transcription factors?
The modular nature of transcription factors often includes DNA-binding domains and these domains, which interact with other proteins.
What are activation domains?
A stretch of adenine nucleotides added to the 3' end of mRNA.
What is the poly-A tail?
Molecules that can bind to mRNA and block or promote its translation.
What are regulatory RNAs or microRNAs?
Enzymes that remove phosphate groups from proteins.
What are phosphatases?
A sequence of DNA that can increase transcription of associated genes from a distance.
What is an enhancer?
An example of a transcription factor family that binds DNA via zinc finger motifs.
What are zinc finger proteins?
A type of alternative RNA splicing results in different proteins from a single gene.
What is alternative splicing?
This process degrades mRNAs to reduce protein production.
What is mRNA decay or degradation?
This process controls the stability and fate of proteins following translation.
What is post-translational modification?