Chapter 17: Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes Flashcards
What are transcription factors?
Regulatory proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences
Transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific DNA recognition sequences in the promoter or enhancer elements of a gene.
Which of the following elements is not a DNA binding domain?
Leucine zipper
Zinc finger
Helix-turn-helix
Gal4p
Gal4p
Gal4p is a yeast protein that contains a DNA binding domain.
True or False?
Alternative splicing is an example of gene regulation that occurs after the synthesis of mRNA.
True
Alternative splicing is a form of mRNA processing and occurs after mRNA synthesis.
True or False?
Transcription and translation are not coupled in eukaryotic cells, although both processes take place in the cytoplasm.
False
In eukaryotes, transcription and translation are not coupled because transcription occurs in the nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm.
True or False?
In general, one could say that fewer levels of regulation are possible in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes.
True
How does DNA methylation regulate gene activity?
by adding methyl groups to the cytosine of CG doublets in DNA
Methylation of 5-methyl-CpG DNA sequences appears to inactivate transcription of the sequences.
Which process seems to be the most similar between eukaryotic and prokaryotic genetic regulation?
transcriptional regulation
DNA methylation may be a significant mode of genetic regulation in eukaryotes. Methylation refers to ________.
addition of methyl groups to the cytosine of CG doublets
Which of the following elements function specifically in eukaryotic transcription and gene expression?
promoters and enhancers
Promoters are the sites of assembly of the basic transcription complex, and along with enhancers, control transcription in eukaryotes.
Which of the following clusters of terms applies when addressing enhancers or silencers as elements associated with eukaryotic genetic regulation?
cis-acting, variable orientation, variable position
Mutations in the promoter region of the β-globin gene indicate that some areas are more sensitive than others. When mutations occur in consensus sequences (modular elements such as GC box, CAAT box, TATA box), does transcription usually increase or decrease?
decrease
True or False?
Transcription in eukaryotes is generally influenced by enhancers just as in prokaryotes.
False
Which of the following best describes the mechanism by which steroid hormones control gene expression?
Steroid hormones that enter the cell activate receptors. These hormone-receptor complexes then bind HREs and influence gene expression.
The reason some cells respond to the presence of a steroid hormone while others do not is that _______.
the receptors necessary for regulation differ among cells of various types
The specificity of steroid hormone regulation is due to the presence or absence of the receptor in different cell types.
Which of the following best describes the role of chaperone proteins in the regulation of gene expression by steroid hormones?
Chaperone proteins maintain functionality of the receptor.
Chaperone proteins maintain the functionality of the receptor prior to binding of the steroid hormone to the receptor.
What are transcription factors?
regulatory proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences
Transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific DNA recognition sequences in the promoter or enhancer elements of a gene.
Which of the following statements about transcription factors is true?
Transcription factors bind DNA sequences present in the enhancer and activate transcription via protein-protein interactions with RNA polymerase.
Transcription factors carry out two functions: they bind to DNA sequences in the enhancer, and they activate transcription via their interactions with RNA polymerase.
When transcription factors interact with DNA, is the resulting genetic control typically positive or negative?
positive
Transcription factors are proteins with at least two functional domains–one that binds to DNA and one that binds to RNA polymerase or to other transcription factors.
True
What is the function of an activator?
It physically makes contact with some element of the transcription complex and activates transcription.
Activators stimulate transcription by RNA polymerase II.
In the galactose utilization system of yeast, the GAL4 protein is a(n) ______.
activator
GAL4 contains a transcription-activating domain, which, when exposed, activates transcription of GAL7, GAL10, and GAL1.
In what way do upstream activator sequences (UASs), regulatory sequences in yeast, differ from enhancers and silencers?
UASs function only upstream.
Which processes are examples of posttranscriptional regulation in eukaryotes?
alternative splicing of single mRNA transcripts to give rise to multiple mRNAs and increased stability of the mRNA
Alternative splicing of mRNA transcripts and increased mRNA stability are two processes used to regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally.
True or False?
Alternative RNA processing can result in different mRNAs that start with different exons.
True
True or False?
The term spliceopathy is often used to signify a genetic condition caused by a defect in the regulation of RNA splicing.
True
What is the role of Dicer in RNA-induced gene silencing?
cleaves longer RNAs into short, regulatory RNA molecules
The regulatory siRNAs and miRNAs are involved in suppression of gene expression.
Many promoter regions contain CAAT boxes containing consensus sequences CAAT or CCAAT approximately 70 to 80 bases upstream from the transcription start site.
How might one determine the influence of CAAT boxes on the transcription rate of a given gene?
Delete the CAAT box sequence and measure the transcription rate.
Make mutations in the CAAT box sequence and measure the transcription rate.
Introduce extra CAAT box sequences and measure the transcription rate.
A deletion within the GAL4 gene that removes the region encoding amino acids 1 to 100.
A deletion within the GAL4 gene that removes amino acids 1-100 would remove the DNA-binding section and not allow transcriptional activation.
A deletion of the entire GAL3 gene.
Without the product of the GAL3 gene, there would be no disruption of the Gal4p/Gal80p complex and therefore no transcription of the GAL1 gene.
A mutation within the GAL80 gene that blocks the ability of Gal80 protein to interact with Gal3p.
If the GAL80 gene product can’t interact with Gal3p, there can be no interaction with the Gal4p/Gal80p complex and therefore no GAL1 transcription.
A deletion of one of the four UASG elements upstream from the GAL1 gene.
A deletion of one of the four UASG elements would reduce transcription of the GAL1 gene.
A point mutation in the GAL1 core promoter that alters the sequence of the TATA box.
Generally, mutations in the TATA box of a promoter reduce transcription of the relevant gene.
Which statements about the modification of chromatin structure in eukaryotes are true?
DNA is not transcribed when chromatin is packaged tightly in a condensed form.
Some forms of chromatin modification can be passed on to future generations of cells.
Acetylation of histone tails is a reversible process.
Acetylation of histone tails in chromatin allows access to DNA for transcription.
Methylation of histone tails in chromatin can promote condensation of the chromatin.
One of the mechanisms by which eukaryotes regulate gene expression is through modifications to chromatin structure. When chromatin is condensed, DNA is not accessible for transcription. Acetylation of histone tails reduces the attraction between neighboring nucleosomes, causing chromatin to assume a looser structure and allowing access to the DNA for transcription. If the histone tails undergo deacetylation, chromatin can recondense, once again making DNA inaccessible for transcription.
Recent evidence suggests that methylation of histone tails can promote either the condensation or the decondensation of chromatin, depending on where the methyl groups are located on the histones.
Thus, methylation can either inactivate or activate transcription, and demethylation can reverse the effect of methylation.
Changes in chromatin structure may be passed on to future generations of cells in a type of inheritance called epigenetic inheritance.
A number of experiments have demonstrated that areas of the genome that are relatively inert transcriptionally are resistant to DNase I digestion; however, those areas that are transcriptionally active are DNase I sensitive.
Describe how DNase I resistance or sensitivity might indicate transcriptional activity.
When DNA is transcriptionally active, it is in a less condensed state and as such, more open to DNase digestion.
Which statements about the regulation of transcription initiation in these genes are true?
Both the fantasin gene and the imaginin gene will be transcribed at high levels when activators specific for control elements A, B, C, D, and E are present in the cell.
The fantasin gene will be transcribed at a high level when activators specific for control elements A, B, and C are present in the cell.
Control elements C, D, and E are distal control elements for the imaginin gene.
Only certain genes are transcribed in a eukaryotic cell at any particular time. The regulation of transcription initiation depends on the interaction of specific transcription factors with specific control elements in enhancers.
In the eukaryotic cell used as an example, the enhancers for the fantasin gene and imaginin gene are unique because they contain different sets of control elements (A, B, and C for the fantasin gene; C, D, and E for the imaginin gene). Each gene will be transcribed at a high level when activators specific for all of the control elements in its enhancer are present in the cell.
Alternative RNA splicing produces different mRNA molecules from the same primary RNA transcript.
During alternative RNA splicing, all introns are removed, and some exons may also be removed.
The removal of different exons produces different mRNA molecules, which are then translated into different proteins.
Alternative RNA splicing can greatly expand the number of proteins produced from the same gene.
Characteristics of Promoters
Required for basal-level transcription
TATA, CAAT, and GC boxes
Always located upstream of the gene within 100 bases of the transcription initiation site
Characteristics of Enhancers
NOT required for basal-level transcription
Responsible for tissue-specific and time-specific gene expression
May influence the expression of more than one gene
May be located upstream, downstream, or within the gene.
Chromatin Remodeling Complexes
Repositions Histones
Decreases Gene Expression
Histone Deacetylaces (HDACs)
Deacetylation
Increased attraction between DNA and histones
Increases Gene Expression
Histone Acetyltransferases (HATs)
Acetylation
Decreased attraction between DNA and histones
Refers to changes in DNA/chromosomes structure that can influence overall gene output.
Chromatin remodeling
Sequences in the DNA to which transcription factors and RNA polymerase bind to initiate transcription.
Promoters
Cis-acting DAN sequences to which transcription factors bind to regulate transcription.
Enhancers
They can act over distances of thousands of base pairs and can be upstream, downstream, or internal, to the gene they affect.
Enhancers
Bind DNA and regulate transcription.
Transcription Factors
The addition of a 5’ cap and a poly-A tail, and removal of introns are all steps in ____.
RNA Processing and Transport
RNA processing contributes to ___, which regulate translation.
mRNA stabililty
Eukaryotic regulation is more complex than it is in prokaryotes because of:
(4 reasons)
larger amount of DNA
larger number of chromosomes
spatial separation of transcription and translation
mRNA processing, RNA stability, and cellular differentiation in eukaryotes
Chromosome Organization in the ___ Influences _____ .
Chromosome Organization in the Nucleus Influences Gene Expression
Chromosomes occupy a discrete territory in the nucleus
gene-poor chromosomes are located peripherally
gene-rich chromosomes are located more internally