TNBGGA: The No Bullshit Guide to Genetic Analysis

Transactivator (activator): a DNAplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigDNA: deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic material for nearly all life on Earth. binding proteinplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigProtein: a molecule that is formed by the translation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Functions that proteins provide are what usually give organisms their phenotypes. that binds to promoterplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigPromoter: has multiple closely related but subtly different meanings depending on context:

* In bacteria, a promoter is a cis-acting DNA sequence near the transcription start site of a gene or operon that binds to bacterial RNA polymerase. * In eukaryotes, the formal definition of a promoter (also called a basal promoter) is a RNA sequencesplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigSequence: the precise order of monomers in a polymer. In DNA, it refers to the order of G, A, T, and C nucleotides. In RNA, it refers to the order of G, A, U, and C nucleotides. In proteins, it refers to the order of amino acids. to activate the transcriptionplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigRNA transcription: the process of RNA polymerase using the DNA sequence of a gene as a template to form an mRNA (in prokaryotes) or pre-mRNA (in eukaryotes). In most cases, “transcription” implies RNA transcription. of nearby genesplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGene: read Chapters 02, 03, 04, 05, and 06 for a definition of gene :-). In the context of geneplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGene: read Chapters 02, 03, 04, 05, and 06 for a definition of gene :-) expressionplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigExpression: a term used to describe the idea that the function of a gene is apparent and can be observed. Genes may not always be expressed all the time in all places., “activator” is usually a synonym for transactivator. Compare with positive regulatorplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigPositive regulator: in the context of gene regulation, a positive regulator is a gene whose activity increases the expression of another gene. Compare to transactivator/activator..