Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Describing a Transcription Factor Dependent Regulation of the MicroRNA Transcriptome
Published on: June 15, 2016
Transcriptional regulation of the resistin gene
1State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan city, Hubei Province 430070, China.
Abstract:
Resistin, which is a protein that is secreted exclusively by adipocytes, plays an important role in insulin resistance and adipocyte differentiation. Adipocytes express significant amounts of resistin mRNA, while preadipocytes express low levels of resistin mRNA. The mechanism that causes this difference is unclear. Therefore, we studied the mechanism regulating resistin expression and the roles of different transcriptional factors in this process. The results from fluorescent photography and semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) and cyclic AMP response-element-binding protein (CREB) had no effect on resistin expression. By contrast, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-alpha (C/EBPalpha) increased resistin mRNA levels both in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and in 293T cells. The relative increase in the amount of resistin mRNA in the 293T cells was much larger than that in the 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Moreover, while C/EBPalpha was necessary for resistin expression, we found that up-regulating C/EBPalpha levels alone was not sufficient to induce a similar level of resistin in preadipocytes to that in adipocytes.
Related Concept Videos
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Constitutive and Regulated Gene Expression
Co-activators and Co-repressors
What is Gene Expression?
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...
What is Gene Expression?
Transcriptional Regulation: Riboswitches

