Promoters and Cis Elements Flashcards
What are the main differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcription?
- location
- prokaryotes only have exons
- capping, splicing and polyadenylation only occurs in eukaryotes
- PTMs only happen in eukaryotes
- transcription and translation are uncoupled in eukaryotes
What genes does RNAP I transcribe?
5.8S, 18S and 28S rRNA genes
What genes does RNAP II transcribe?
- all protein coding genes
- snoRNA genes
- miRNA genes
- siRNA genes
- lncRNA genes
- most snRNA genes
What genes does RNAP III transcribe?
tRNA genes and 5S rRNA genes
What is differential expression mainly due to in eukaryotes?
RNAP II
What are the 4 protein factors involved in eukaryotic transcription?
- RNAP and GTFs
- specific TFs
- co-activators/co-repressors
- mediator
Why are GTFs required?
RNAPs cannot initiate transcription on their own
What are the 4 components for transcription initiation?
- regulatory regions of the gene e.g. promoter, cis elements
- PIC
- specific TFs
- co-activators and chromatin remodelling proteins
What is the eukaryotic PIC made up of?
RNAPs and GTFs
What is the promoter?
the binding site of a gene for basal transcriptional machinery for initiation of transcription
What are cis-elements?
the binding sites of DNA for specific TFs or other regulatory proteins which affect the rate of transcription (enhancers/silencers)
What is the TATA promoter for?
non-housekeeping genes
What is the TATA-less promoter for?
housekeeping genes
What is the TATA box similar to?
the -10 Pribnow box of prokaryotes
What does the TATA box allow?
correct positioning of the polymerase to start transcription about 30 bases downstream from TATA box
What is the initiator sequence (INR)?
a TATA-less promoter that is the start site of transcription (in some genes, it can initiate transcription alone)
What is the BRE element?
the binding site for TFIIB
What does DPE allow?
cooperative binding to TFIID
How can the rate of transcription be altered?
by binding of activators or repressors to specific sequences
What are enhancers?
binding sites for transcriptional activators that increase the rate of transcription
What are silencers?
binding sites for transcriptional repressors that decrease the rate of transcription and sometimes prevent a region from being transcribed at all
Where can enhancers and silencers be located?
- near or far away from the transcription unit (upstream or downstream)
- in introns
What is GUS?
a reporter gene from bacteria that encodes beta-glucuronidase, which can convert colourless substrates to blue and fluorescent colours for quantification
What can DNA bending cause?
regulatory sequences interacting with the promoter
What are common properties of type 1 (TATA) promoters?
- sharp TSS
- TATA-box enrichment
- disordered nucleosome configuration
- mostly no CpG islands
What are common properties of type 2 (TATA-less) promoters?
- broad TSS
- ordered nucleosome configuration
- CpG islands