Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...

Master Transcription Regulators

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...

Master Transcription Regulators

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...

MAPK Signaling Cascades

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...

Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps

Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps

The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the addition of a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Acid-Urea Gel Electrophoresis and Western Blotting of Histones.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2016

Same author

Live-cell studies of p300/CBP histone acetyltransferase activity and inhibition.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2012

Same author

Dynamic acetylation of lysine-4-trimethylated histone H3 and H3 variant biology in a simple multicellular eukaryote.

Nucleic acids research·2012

Same author

Dynamic acetylation of all lysine-4 trimethylated histone H3 is evolutionarily conserved and mediated by p300/CBP.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2011

Same author

Virtual ligand screening of the p300/CBP histone acetyltransferase: identification of a selective small molecule inhibitor.

Chemistry & biology·2010

Same author

Signalling to chromatin through post-translational modifications of HMGN.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2009

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Rapid Synthesis and Screening of Chemically Activated Transcription Factors with GFP-based Reporters

Rapid Synthesis and Screening of Chemically Activated Transcription Factors with GFP-based Reporters

Published on: November 26, 2013

MAPK-regulated transcription: a continuously variable gene switch?

Catherine A Hazzalin¹, Louis C Mahadevan

¹Nuclear Signalling Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.

Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology

|February 2, 2002

Summary

Gene regulation can be binary (on/off) or quantitative (variable). This study explores the biological need for quantitative gene control and examines evidence and mechanisms using mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling.

More Related Videos

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

Published on: June 15, 2017

An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness

An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness

Published on: May 7, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Rapid Synthesis and Screening of Chemically Activated Transcription Factors with GFP-based Reporters

Rapid Synthesis and Screening of Chemically Activated Transcription Factors with GFP-based Reporters

Published on: November 26, 2013

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

Published on: June 15, 2017

An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness

An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness

Published on: May 7, 2018

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Cell Signaling
Gene Expression Regulation

Background:

Gene expression is traditionally viewed as binary, with genes either "on" or "off."
Intracellular signaling pathways, like mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), modulate cellular responses.
The precise control of gene transcription rates is crucial for complex biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To discuss the biological necessity for quantitative gene regulation.
To assess the evidence supporting quantitative gene switches.
To propose potential mechanisms for quantitative gene regulation, particularly in MAPK-controlled transcription.

Main Methods:

Literature review and theoretical discussion.
Analysis of existing data on MAPK signaling and gene transcription.
Postulation of molecular mechanisms for graded gene expression.

Main Results:

Evidence suggests that gene regulation can operate as a quantitative rheostat, not just a binary switch.
The strength of intracellular signals directly correlates with the rate of gene transcription.
MAPK signaling pathways provide a model system to study these quantitative mechanisms.

Conclusions:

Quantitative gene regulation is biologically essential for fine-tuning cellular functions.
Rheostat-like gene switches offer a more nuanced control mechanism than simple on/off states.
Understanding these quantitative mechanisms is key to deciphering complex cellular signaling and responses.