Lesson 8: Control of Gene Expression II: Post Transcriptional Control Key Terms

Post-transcriptional control

any control on gene expression that is exerted at a stage after transcription has begun

alternative RNA splicing

production of different RNAs from the same gene by splicing the transcript in different ways

DNA methylation

addition of methyl groups to DNA. Extensive methylation of the cytosine base in CG sequences is used in plants and animals to help keep genes in an inactive state

attenuation

a gene regulation mechanism in bacteria where the premature termination of transcription is controlled by the rate of translation

CG islands

region of DNA in vertebrate genomes with a greater than average density of CG sequences; the C nucleotides in these regions generally remain unmethylated

riboswitch

a specialized part of a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule that binds a small target chemical to directly turn gene activity on or off