The Principles of Transcription Regulation

The principle means by which the activity of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins is controlled have aheady been presented in section 1.2. The importance of these mechanisms for regulation in eucaryotes will be discussed below. Altogether, the demands on eucaryotic organisms with regard to the regulation of transcription activity are much more complex than for procaryotes. This tenet holds for the structure of the transcription apparatus as well as for the mechanism of transcription regulation. 

Fig. 4.4. The principle of signal transduction by nuclear receptors. Nuclear receptors are ligand-controlled transcription factors that bind cognate DNA sequences, or hormone responsive elements (HRE). The hormone acts as a regulating ligand. Most nuclear receptors bind their cognate HREs, which tend to be symmetrically organized, as homo- or heterodimers. The DNA-bound, activated receptor stimulates transcription initiation via direct or indirect protein-protein interactions with the transcription initiation complex. The arrows demonstrate the different possible configurations of the HRE (see also 4.6). H hormone Hsp heat shock protein.

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.

In the previous chapter we discussed DNA-binding proteins that regulate transcription in prokaryotes. The principles that govern recognition between proteins in eukaryotes show some similarities and some differences. In both cases specific recognition is dominated by interactions that take place in the major groove of the DNA. The specific interactions usually involve H bond formation... 

In principle, the functions of HIF 1 and Sp3 could be regulated either at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels, so it is particularly instructive that the accumulation of HIF la protein and binding activity in cells... 

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