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    7.2 Transcription and Gene Expression

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    Abdelrahman Harrath
    Regulation of transcription and gene expression in eukaryotes involves proteins binding to DNA, nucleosome acetylation and methylation, and environmental factors. Proteins can bind to enhancer and silencer sequences to increase or decrease transcription. Acetylation of histones opens chromatin allowing gene transcription, while methylation inhibits it. The environment, such as temperature and light, can affect gene expression in organisms. Eukaryotic pre-mRNA is spliced to remove introns, producing mature mRNA that is translated into protein, and alternative splicing increases protein diversity.

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    7.2 Transcription and Gene Expression

    Uploaded by

    Abdelrahman Harrath
    42 views4 pages
    Regulation of transcription and gene expression in eukaryotes involves proteins binding to DNA, nucleosome acetylation and methylation, and environmental factors. Proteins can bind to enhancer and silencer sequences to increase or decrease transcription. Acetylation of histones opens chromatin allowing gene transcription, while methylation inhibits it. The environment, such as temperature and light, can affect gene expression in organisms. Eukaryotic pre-mRNA is spliced to remove introns, producing mature mRNA that is translated into protein, and alternative splicing increases protein diversity.

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    7.2 Transcription and gene expression

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    Regulation of transcription and gene expression in eukaryotes involves proteins binding to DNA, nucleosome acetylation and methylation, and environmental factors. Proteins can bind to enhancer and silencer sequences to increase or decrease transcription. Acetylation of histones opens chromatin allowing gene transcription, while methylation inhibits it. The environment, such as temperature and light, can affect gene expression in organisms. Eukaryotic pre-mRNA is spliced to remove introns, producing mature mRNA that is translated into protein, and alternative splicing increases protein diversity.

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    42 views4 pages

    7.2 Transcription and Gene Expression

    Uploaded by

    Abdelrahman Harrath
    Regulation of transcription and gene expression in eukaryotes involves proteins binding to DNA, nucleosome acetylation and methylation, and environmental factors. Proteins can bind to enhancer and silencer sequences to increase or decrease transcription. Acetylation of histones opens chromatin allowing gene transcription, while methylation inhibits it. The environment, such as temperature and light, can affect gene expression in organisms. Eukaryotic pre-mRNA is spliced to remove introns, producing mature mRNA that is translated into protein, and alternative splicing increases protein diversity.

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    7.

    2 Transcription and gene expression – HL

    Regulation to transcription and gene expression in eukaryotes


    Epigenetics = “above genes”:
    1. proteins that bind to specific base sequences in DNA heritable changes in gene
    2. nucleosomes acetylation expression that does not
    3. DNA (nucleosome) methylation involve changes to the DNA
    4. The environment of a cell and of an organism base sequence = what switches
    genes on/off

    1. Proteins that bind to specific base sequences in DNA (regulatory proteins)

    Specific regulatory proteins can regulate how much transcription of a particular gene will occur. They
    bind to:

    Enhancers

    Regulatory sequences on the DNA that increase the rate of transcription when proteins bind to them.

    Silencers

    Regulatory sequences on the DNA that decrease the rate of transcription when proteins bind to them.

    Promoter-proximal elements - Regulatory sequences on the DNA which have binding sites closer to the
    promoter and their binding is necessary to initiate transcription.

    Example:

    In prokaryotic cells such as E.coli

     repressor proteins block the production the enzymes needed to break down lactose in the cell.
     However, when Lactose is present, it will bind to the repressor protein, causing it to fall off, and
    allowing transcription to occur.
     As transcription occurs, these enzymes are made and lactose is broken down into glucose and
    galactose. Since there is small amounts of lactose now in the cell, the repressor binds again to
    the operator, blocking transcription from taking place.
     This is an example of negative feedback

    1
    Remember:
    Nucleosomes help:
    1. supercoil chromosomes
    2. Nucleosomes acetylation 2. regulate transcription and gene expression

    • The supercoiling of nucleosomes helps regulate transcription because only certain areas of the
    DNA are accessible for the production of mRNA by transcription. This regulates the production of
    a polypeptide.
    • When acetyl groups are added to the positively charged histone tails, they become negative and
    the DNA repels against them.
    • This opens up the nucleosome so the DNA is not as close to the histone anymore and chromatin
    remodeling can occur.
    • This acetylation of the positive histone tails and opening up of the DNA structure allows the gene
    to be transcribed more often.
    • If this does not occur, the DNA remains tightly packed and transcription is inhibited

    3. DNA (nucleosome) methylation


    • A methyl group (CH3) is added to the histone proteins.
    • Methylation of the histone proteins inhibits the area of the DNA to be accessible for
    transcription.
    • This decreases transcription of the gene
    • The amount of methylation can vary over an organisms lifetime and can be affected by
    environmental factors

    2
    4. The environment of a cell and of an organism

    • The environment of a cell and of an organism has an impact on gene expression.


    • Temperature and light are external conditions which can affect gene expression in certain
    organisms.

    Example:

    Himalayan rabbits carry the C gene, which is required for the development of pigments in the fur, skin,
    and eyes

    • The expression of C gene is regulated by temperature.


    • The C gene is inactive above 35°C, and it is maximally active from 15°C to 25°C.
    • This temperature regulation of gene expression produces rabbits with a distinctive coat coloring.
    • In the warm, central parts of the rabbit's body, the gene is inactive, and no pigments are
    produced therefore the fur color is white (picture below).
    • In the rabbit's extremities (i.e., the ears, tip of the nose, and feet), where the temperature is
    much lower than 35°C, the C gene actively produces pigment, making these parts of the animal
    black.

    Example:

    The effect of sunlight on the production of skin pigmentation (melanin) in humans. UV light activates the
    production of melanin in humans’ skin.

    Transcription

    • occurs in a 5’ to 3’ direction.
    • consists of 3 stages called initiation, elongation and termination
    • begins when the RNA polymerase binds to the promoter with the help of specific binding
    proteins.
    • The promoter as an example of non-coding DNA with a function.
    • RNA polymerase adds the 5´ end of the free RNA nucleotide to the 3´ end of the growing mRNA
    molecule.

    3
    • Eukaryotic cells modify mRNA after transcription.
    • Splicing of mRNA increases the number of different proteins an organism can produce.

    Eukaryotic cells modify mRNA after transcription

    Eukaryotic RNA needs the removal of introns to form mature mRNA.

    In eukaryotes, the pre-mRNA produced by transcription is modified to remove the introns so as to form
    the mature mRNA.

    Pre-mRNA has been produced through


    transcription of the anti-sense strand.

    (a) The non-coding introns are removed


    from the mRNA (RNA splicing). This takes
    place in the nucleus.

    (b) The remaining mRNA is called mature


    mRNA and is exported from the nucleus
    to the cytoplasm for translation into the
    polypeptide.

    Splicing of mRNA increases the number of different proteins an organism can produce.

    • Alternative splicing can also occur with genes that produce multiple proteins, which means that
    some exons may also be removed during splicing, thus producing different polypeptides.

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