Transcription factor - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Transcription factors help to regulate genes. Each transcription factor binds to a specific DNA sequence. That is how they control the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA.^[1][2]

A transcription factor is sometimes called a 'sequence-specific DNA-binding factor'. Alone or with other proteins, they promote or block RNA polymerase. RNA polymerase is the enzyme that copies genetic information from DNA to RNA for specific genes.^[3][4][5]

Transcription factors have one or more DNA-binding domains (DBDs). These attach to sequences of DNA next to the genes they regulate.^[6][7] Other proteins (such as coactivators, chromatin remodellers, histone acetylases or deacetylases, kinases, and methylases) also play crucial roles in gene regulation. Because they lack DNA-binding domains, they are not called transcription factors.^[8]

Glossary:

• gene expression – how information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product such as a protein
• transcription – the process of making messenger RNA (mRNA) from a DNA template by RNA polymerase
• transcription factor – a protein that binds to DNA and regulates gene expression by promoting or suppressing transcription
• 'transcriptional regulation' – controlling the rate of gene transcription for example by helping or hindering RNA polymerase binding to DNA
• 'upregulation', activation or promotion – increase the rate of gene transcription
• 'downregulation', repression or suppression – decrease the rate of gene transcription
• 'coactivator' – a protein that works with transcription factors to increase the rate of gene transcription
• 'corepressor' – a protein that works with transcription factors to decrease the rate of gene transcription
• 'response element' – a sequence of DNA to which a transcription factor binds