Gene transcription rates

Mosser, D.D., Theodorakis, N.G., Morimoto, R.I. (1988). Coordinate changes in heat shock element binding activity and hsp70 gene transcription rates in human cells. Mol. Cell. Biol. 8,4736-4744. 

Studies to date have shown that increases in gene transcription rates generally precede flavonoid production. This observation, in conjunction with studies on flavonoid-related transcription factors (TFs), suggests that gene transcription is the key point for biosynthetic gene regulation, rather than translation or post-translational steps. Post-transcriptional regulation has been reported for flavonoid biosynthesis (reviewed in Ref. 14 and recently... 

Gene transcription rates and mRNA levels were determined for an enzyme that is induced by glucocorticoids. Compared to untreated levels, glucocorticoid treatment caused a 10-fold increase in the gene transcription rate and a 20-fold increase in both mRNA levels and enzyme activity. These data indicate that a primary effect of glucocorticoid treatment is to... 

Other Activities. IFNy causes a concentration-dependent decrease in steady-state lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) mRNA expression and gene transcription rate. When TGFpl is added 24 hours before IFNy, the extent of LRP down regulation is reduced. This suggests... 

Pretreatment with phenobarbital leads to an increase in mRNA in the liver within 4 h. The mRNA, which is translatable, polysomal and is coded for a cytochrome P-450, is increased 14-fold. The major effect seems to be an increase in gene transcription rate. Phenobarbital causes induction of cytochrome P-450 via transcriptional activation of genes encoding two members of the rat CYP2B family. The result is an increase in CYP2B and CYP2B2, the latter being a constitutive form of cytochrome P-450. 

Table 11.2 Selected genes whose rate of transcription is altered by binding of insulin to its receptor. In virtually all instances, the ultimate effect is to promote anabolic events characteristic of insulin action. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis has also pinpointed dozens of proteins of unknown function whose cellular level is altered by insulin...

Protein class Gene product Insulin effect (T or 4 in transcription rate)... 

Regulation of neuropeptide expression is exerted at several levels. Control of neuropeptide function is mediated by factors controlling rates of prepropeptide gene transcription, translation, peptide degradation and secretion (Fig. 18-11). On the scale of seconds to minutes, peptide secretion is not always coupled lock-step with classical transmitter release (example above). Peptides are inactivated by diffusion and by proteolysis, so it would be expected that inhibition of specific extracellular proteases... 

The details of the mechanism by which CREB influences gene expression are becoming increasingly understood (Fig. 23-9) [62, 63]. In the basal, or unstimulated, state, CREB is bound to its CREs but does not alter transcriptional rates under most circumstances. Stimulation of a cell by a variety of first messengers leads to the phosphorylation and activation of CREB, which then leads to the regulation of gene transcription. Such phosphorylation of CREB occurs on a single serine residue, serine 133, and can be mediated by one of several protein kinases. 

Transcriptional activator A protein which activates (up regulates) transcription of a specific gene or group of genes. Transcriptional activators are DNA binding proteins which usually bind to specific sequences close to the promoter and enhance the binding of RNA polymerase and/or stimulate the rate of transcription... 

Fig. 3.6. Principles of signal transduction by transmembrane receptors and nuclear receptors, a) transmembrane receptors receive the signal on the cell surface and convert it into an intracellular signal that can be passed on until it reaches the nucleus, b) In signal transduction via nuclear receptors the hormone enters the cell and binds the receptor either in the cytosol (R) or nucleus (R ). Nuclear receptors act as nuclear transcription factors that bind specific DNA elements (HRE hormone responsive element) found in the promotor region of regulated genes to control their transcription rate.

An open question is whether auxin stimulates wall loosening by acting at the level of gene transcription. Auxin certainly stimulates the rate of RNA synthesis in plant section,454-456 isolated nuclei,457-459 and chromatin,457,460 and new protein species appear after treatment of intact tissues with the hormone.461-463 However, the findings of Haschemeyer464 and Evans and Ray465 strongly indicated that the induction of cell-wall exten-... 

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