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Regulation of gene expression by a hormone receptor Diagram showing at which stages in the DNA-mRNA-protein pathway expression can be controlled. Regulation of gene expression, or gene regulation, [1] includes a wide range of mechanisms that are used by cells to increase or decrease the production of specific gene products (protein or RNA).
A regulator gene may encode a protein, or it may work at the level of RNA, as in the case of genes encoding microRNAs. An example of a regulator gene is a gene that codes for a repressor protein that inhibits the activity of an operator (a gene which binds repressor proteins thus inhibiting the translation of RNA to protein via RNA polymerase). [1]
Structure of a gene regulatory network Control process of a gene regulatory network. A gene (or genetic) regulatory network (GRN) is a collection of molecular regulators that interact with each other and with other substances in the cell to govern the gene expression levels of mRNA and proteins which, in turn, determine the function of the cell.
Cis-regulatory DNA sequences that are located in DNA regions distant from the promoters of genes can have very large effects on gene expression, with some genes undergoing up to 100-fold increased expression due to such a cis-regulatory sequence. [3] These cis-regulatory sequences include enhancers, silencers, insulators and tethering elements. [4]
[4] [5] Genetic regulatory circuits are analogous in many ways to electronic circuits in how they use signal inputs and outputs to determine gene regulation. [4] [5] Like electronic circuits, their organization determines their efficiency, and this has been demonstrated in circuits working in series to have a greater sensitivity of gene regulation.
[1] An example of downregulation is the cellular decrease in the expression of a specific receptor in response to its increased activation by a molecule, such as a hormone or neurotransmitter, which reduces the cell's sensitivity to the molecule. This is an example of a locally acting (negative feedback) mechanism.
Because the receptor gene is expressed in several forms, it has many different (pleiotropic) effects in different parts of the body. When glucocorticoids bind to GR, its primary mechanism of action is the regulation of gene transcription. [5] [6] The unbound receptor resides in the cytosol of the cell. After the receptor is bound to ...
Regulation of gene expression is the control of the amount and timing of appearance of the functional product of a gene. Control of expression is vital to allow a cell to produce the gene products it needs when it needs them; in turn, this gives cells the flexibility to adapt to a variable environment, external signals, damage to the cell, and ...