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Related Concept Videos

Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors01:58

Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors

The organization of prokaryotic genes in their genome is notably different from that of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic genes are organized, such that the genes for proteins involved in the same biochemical process or function are located together in groups. This group of genes, along with their regulatory elements, are collectively known as an operon. The functional genes in an operon are transcribed together to give a single strand of mRNA known as polycistronic mRNA.
Transcription of prokaryotic...
Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors01:58

Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors

The organization of prokaryotic genes in their genome is notably different from that of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic genes are organized, such that the genes for proteins involved in the same biochemical process or function are located together in groups. This group of genes, along with their regulatory elements, are collectively known as an operon. The functional genes in an operon are transcribed together to give a single strand of mRNA known as polycistronic mRNA.
Transcription of prokaryotic...
Reporter Genes02:11

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
Commonly used reporter...
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors01:52

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors

Certain biochemical processes, such as embryonic development and cell growth regulation, depend on the repression of specific genes. DNA binding proteins known as eukaryotic transcription inhibitors regulate the repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. The presence of these inhibitors at the required location and time in the cell is triggered by the presence of hormones and additional signals from other cells.
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a DNA...
Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Eukaryotic Transcription Activators02:42

Eukaryotic Transcription Activators

Transcription activators are proteins that promote the transcription of genes from DNA to RNA. In most cases, these proteins contain two separate domains ‒ a domain that binds to DNA and a domain for activating transcription; however, in some cases, a single domain is responsible for both binding and activation of transcription, as seen in the glucocorticoid receptor and MyoD.
The binding domains are capable of recognizing and interacting with regulatory sequences on the DNA. These domains are...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Efficient Transcriptionally Controlled Plasmid Expression System for Investigation of the Stability of mRNA Transcripts in Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells
10:49

Efficient Transcriptionally Controlled Plasmid Expression System for Investigation of the Stability of mRNA Transcripts in Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells

Published on: March 6, 2020

Doxycycline-dependent photoactivated gene expression in eukaryotic systems.

Sidney B Cambridge1, Daniel Geissler, Federico Calegari

  • 1Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Munich-Martinsried, Germany. cambridge@ana.uni-heidelberg.de

Nature Methods
|June 9, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed light-activated doxycycline to precisely control gene expression in various organisms. This breakthrough allows high-resolution, spatial, and temporal control of transgenes without toxicity.

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Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Efficient Transcriptionally Controlled Plasmid Expression System for Investigation of the Stability of mRNA Transcripts in Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells
10:49

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Published on: March 6, 2020

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08:35

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08:51

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Achieving precise spatial and temporal control of gene expression in whole tissues and organisms is a significant challenge.
  • Existing methods often lack the resolution needed for fine-tuned genetic manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel method for high-resolution, light-controlled conditional gene expression.
  • To enable precise spatial and temporal activation of transgenes using photoactivatable molecules.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of two reversibly inhibited, photoactivatable ('caged') doxycycline derivatives with varying membrane permeabilities.
  • Application of caged doxycycline derivatives in diverse biological systems, including mouse brain cultures, embryos, and Xenopus tadpoles.
  • Induction of transgene expression via local UV light irradiation or two-photon uncaging.

Main Results:

  • Successful demonstration of light-induced transgene expression in various biological models.
  • Confirmation of precise spatial and temporal control over gene activation.
  • No observed toxicity associated with the UV light doses used for induction.

Conclusions:

  • The developed photoactivatable doxycycline system offers unprecedented control over conditional gene expression.
  • This method facilitates high-resolution genetic manipulation across different spatial scales, from single cells to complex organisms.
  • This technique provides a valuable tool for studying gene function in biological systems.