Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cis-regulatory Sequences02:02

Cis-regulatory Sequences

Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
Cis-regulatory Sequences02:02

Cis-regulatory Sequences

Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

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...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

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...
Regulated mRNA Transport02:22

Regulated mRNA Transport

In eukaryotes, transcription and translation are compartmentalized; an mRNA is first synthesized in the nucleus and then selectively transported to the cytoplasm for protein synthesis. Before transport, a pre-mRNA undergoes several steps of post-transcriptional modifications including splicing, 5' capping, and the addition of a poly-adenine tail. Various proteins bind to the pre-mRNA during these modifications. The mRNA transport takes place with the help of multiple proteins playing specific...
Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators02:13

Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators

Transcriptional regulators bind to specific cis-regulatory sequences in the DNA to regulate gene transcription. These cis-regulatory sequences are very short, usually less than ten nucleotide pairs in length. The short length means that there is a high probability of the exact same sequence randomly occurring throughout the genome.  Since regulators can also bind to groups of similar sequences, this further increases the chances of random binding. Transcriptional regulators form dimers that...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Cross-contamination of commercial oligonucleotides with library-structured sequences.

Nucleic acids research·2026
Same author

Signal or noise? RNA-binding proteins and the challenges of binding site assignments.

Nucleic acids research·2026
Same author

CSDE1 regulates the miR-20a-5p/TMBIM6 axis in melanoma.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Rethinking RNA-binding proteins: Riboregulation challenges prevailing views.

Cell·2025
Same author

Translon: a single term for translated regions.

Nature methods·2025
Same author

Context-dependent phosphorylation of CSDE1 drives interactions with ribosomes.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same journal

Evolutionary and Biochemical Perspectives on the Incorporation and Utilization of Selenocysteine.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter: From Parts to Signaling Networks.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

Growth Control and Beyond: Functional Diversity and Regulation of the Hippo Pathway in the Nervous System.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

Structural Studies of Core Hippo Pathway Components.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

The Hippo Pathway in Intestinal Regeneration, Fetal Reprogramming, and Tumorigenesis.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same journal

A Synergy between Genetics and Biochemistry Unravels the Molecular Architecture of the Hippo Signaling Pathway.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Isolation of Cognate RNA-protein Complexes from Cells Using Oligonucleotide-directed Elution
10:53

Isolation of Cognate RNA-protein Complexes from Cells Using Oligonucleotide-directed Elution

Published on: January 16, 2017

From cis-regulatory elements to complex RNPs and back.

Fátima Gebauer1, Thomas Preiss, Matthias W Hentze

  • 1Gene Regulation Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and UPF, 08003-Barcelona, Spain. fatima.gebauer@crg.eu

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
|July 4, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) contain regulatory sequences that control gene expression. This review details cis-acting elements, trans-acting factors, and their roles in translation, including new high-throughput study methods.

More Related Videos

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
08:19

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 19, 2011

Exploring Sequence Space to Identify Binding Sites for Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins
11:34

Exploring Sequence Space to Identify Binding Sites for Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins

Published on: August 9, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 20, 2026

Isolation of Cognate RNA-protein Complexes from Cells Using Oligonucleotide-directed Elution
10:53

Isolation of Cognate RNA-protein Complexes from Cells Using Oligonucleotide-directed Elution

Published on: January 16, 2017

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
08:19

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 19, 2011

Exploring Sequence Space to Identify Binding Sites for Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins
11:34

Exploring Sequence Space to Identify Binding Sites for Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins

Published on: August 9, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are key molecules for protein synthesis.
  • Untranslated regions of mRNAs contain regulatory cis-acting sequences.
  • These sequences bind trans-acting factors like proteins and small RNAs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors that regulate mRNA posttranscriptional fates.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which these factors affect translation.
  • To highlight advances in studying mRNA-protein complexes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis.
  • Analysis of cis-acting sequence functions.
  • Examination of trans-acting factor mechanisms.
  • Discussion of recent technological advancements.

Main Results:

  • mRNAs possess numerous cis-acting sequences, primarily in untranslated regions.
  • These elements bind various trans-acting factors, influencing mRNA fate.
  • Recent technologies enable transcriptome-wide analysis of these interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors are crucial for posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression.
  • Understanding these interactions is vital for deciphering cellular mechanisms.
  • New technologies are revolutionizing the study of ribonucleoprotein complexes.