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Cis-Regulation of Eukaryotic Transcription

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Molecular Life Sciences

Synonyms

Cis-regulatory elements; Enhancers; Transcriptional regulation

Synopsis

The principal control of eukaryotic transcription involves cis-regulatory DNA sequences that are modulated through the binding of cell-specific transcription factor proteins. These regulatory sequences control development and cell function through the modification of patterns of gene expression. Cis-elements serve as binding sites, which, through DNA bending and looping, can bring transcription factors into close proximity with each other and with promoter regions of the genes they regulate. Binding of specific combinations of transcription factors to their appropriate cis-regulatory regions is the major determinant of when and where genes will be expressed through the transcription of mRNA.

The most discussed and studied type of cis-regulatory elements, other than promoters, are enhancers. Multiple enhancers exist for most genes and act to mediate the control of gene expression in particular cell types...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Richmond, 28 Westhampton Way, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA

    Rachel McMullan & April Hill

Authors
  1. Rachel McMullan
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  2. April Hill
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel McMullan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Chemistry, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia, USA

    Ellis Bell

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McMullan, R., Hill, A. (2014). Cis-Regulation of Eukaryotic Transcription. In: Bell, E. (eds) Molecular Life Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6436-5_40-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6436-5_40-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6436-5

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