Environmental Effects and Epigenetics Flashcards
1
Q
What are housekeeping genes?
A
Proteins and enzymes commonly expressed in different cell-types (eg. histone)
2
Q
What is a gene promoter?
A
5’ regulatory sequence that controls transcription initiation
3
Q
Function of general transcription factors
A
- Recognise and bind gene promoter
- Recruit RNA polymerase II
- Allow a basal level of transcription
4
Q
What is rate of transcription controlled by?
A
- Enhancers (DNA sequence up- or downstream)
- Gene-specific transcription factors (regulatory protein)
5
Q
What is the interaction between enhancers and gene-specific transcription factors?
A
- GSTFs bind enhancers
- Can activate or repress transcription
6
Q
What enzymes are involved in (de)acetylation of histones?
A
- Histone acetyl transferases = acetylation
- Histone deacetylases = deacetylation
7
Q
How does the environment influence deacetylation?
A
Environmental factors and therapeutic drugs inhibit histone deacetylases
8
Q
How do humans equalise expression levels between the sexes?
A
In females, one X chromosome is inactivated early in development
