Eukaryotic Transcription Regulation

General Transcription Factors

Protein complexes that are required for recruitment of RNA Polymerase to the promoter sequence and transcription initiation of all genes.

Enhancer

DNA sequences that serve as binding sites for transcriptional activators and which can act at a distance from the promoter.

Combinatorial Code

The requirement of a set of transcription factors (rather than just one) to activate or repress transcription of specific genes.

Heterochromatin

Tightly condensed, generally gene poor regions of the chromosome.

Euchromatin

Relatively uncondensed chromosomal regions containing actively transcribed genes.

Histone Acetyltransferase

The enzyme complex that catalyzes the covalent modification of histone tails by the addition of acetyl groups.

Histone Deacetylase

The enzyme complex that catalyzes the removal of acetyl groups from histone tails.

Micro RNA; miR; miRNA, ds inhibitory RNA

The class of functional RNAs that consists of single RNAs 21-22 nucleotides in length that can target other cellular RNAs for degradation or disrupt their translation.

Proteosome

The protein complex that degrades ubiquitinated proteins.

Ubiquitin

A small, widely expressed protein whose addition targets proteins for degradation by the proteosome.