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Specificity in the regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription

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Abstract

The regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription poses major challenges in terms of the innumerable protein factors required to ensure tissue or cell-type specificity. While this specificity is sought to be explained by the interaction of cis-acting DNA elements and thetrans-acting protein factor(s), considerable amount of degeneracy has been observed in this interaction. Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene expression in B cells and liver-specific gene expression are discussed as examples of this complexity in this article. Heterodimerization and post-translational modification of transcription factors and the organization of composite promoter elements are strategies by which diverse sets of genes can be regulated in a specific manner using a finite number of protein factors

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Centre for Genetic Engineering, and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Indian Institute of Science, 560 012, Bangalore, India

    G. Padmanaban

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  1. G. Padmanaban
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Based on the lecture given at the Symposium on “Regulation of Gene Expression” held in Bangalore on January 20–21, 1992.

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Padmanaban, G. Specificity in the regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription. J Biosci 18, 27–36 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02703035

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02703035

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