Jones N
Laboratory of Gene Regulation, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK.
Semin Cancer Biol. 1990 Feb;1(1):5-17.
The expression of many genes is regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Technological advances over the last few years have led to new insights into the mechanism of initiation and the different ways that it can be modulated. Many of the proteins involved have now been identified and in some cases extensively characterised. Some of these proteins or transcription factors bind to specific DNA elements either alone or in collaboration with other proteins, often resulting in stimulation of transcription initiation. An understanding of how these factors function, therefore, is essential to understanding the transcription 'process' and how it is regulated. Domains within some of these factors that are responsible for DNA interaction and transcriptional activation have been identified by a combination of genetic, biochemical and physical approaches and these studies are beginning to provide valuable information concerning the possible mechanisms that can regulate their activity. The transcription process itself is highly conserved, many of the components being interchangeable between yeast and man.
许多基因的表达在转录起始水平受到调控。过去几年的技术进步使人们对起始机制以及起始可被调控的不同方式有了新的认识。目前已鉴定出许多相关蛋白质，在某些情况下还对其进行了广泛表征。其中一些蛋白质或转录因子单独或与其他蛋白质协同作用，结合到特定的DNA元件上，常常导致转录起始的刺激。因此，了解这些因子的功能对于理解转录“过程”及其调控方式至关重要。通过遗传学、生物化学和物理学方法相结合，已确定了其中一些因子中负责DNA相互作用和转录激活的结构域，这些研究开始提供有关可能调控其活性机制的有价值信息。转录过程本身高度保守，许多组件在酵母和人类之间可互换。
