Specificity in the regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription

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 the trans-acting protein factor(s), considerable amount of degeneracy has been observed in this interaction. Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene expression in A 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.