Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: December 19, 2011
CREM-dependent transcription in male germ cells controlled by a kinesin
Betina Macho1, Stefano Brancorsini, Gian Maria Fimia
1Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, B. P. 10142, 67404 Illkirch, Strasbourg, France.
Abstract:
ACT is a LIM-only protein expressed exclusively in round spermatids, where it cooperates with transcriptional activator CREM in regulating various postmeiotic genes. Targeted inactivation of CREM leads to a complete block of mouse spermiogenesis. We sought to identify the regulatory steps controlling the functional interplay between CREM and ACT. We found that ACT selectively associates with KIF17b, a kinesin highly expressed in male germ cells. The ACT-KIF17b interaction is restricted to specific stages of spermatogenesis and directly determines the intracellular localization of ACT. Sensitivity to leptomycin B indicates that KIF17b can be actively exported from the nucleus through the Crm1 receptor. Thus, a kinesin directly controls the activity of a transcriptional coactivator by a tight regulation of its intracellular localization.
Related Concept Videos
Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Combinatorial Gene Control
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
General Transcription Factors
Master Transcription Regulators

