Transcription Factors
David S Latchman, University of London, London, UK
Published online: September 2007
DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005278.pub2
Abstract
Transcription factors are regulatory proteins that can increase or decrease the transcription of a particular gene from deoxyribonucleic
acid into the corresponding ribonucleic acid. They play a key role in embryonic development, the creation and maintenance
of cell type‐ and tissue‐specific patterns of protein synthesis and the response to cellular signalling pathways.
Keywords: DNA binding; transcriptional activation; transcriptional repression; cellular signalling; human disease
References
Clayton AL,
Hazzalin CA and
Mahadevan LC
(2006)
Enhanced histone acetylation and transcription: a dynamic perspective.
Molecular Cell
23: 289–296.
Courey AJ and
Jia S
(2001)
Transcriptional repression: the long and the short of it.
Genes and Development
15: 2786–2796.
D'Arcangelo G and
Curran T
(1995)
Smart transcription factors.
Nature
376: 292–293.
Garvie CW and
Wolberger C
(2001)
Recognition of specific DNA sequences.
Molecular Cell
8: 937–946.
Goodman RH and
Smolik S
(2000)
CBP/p300 in cell growth, transformation and development.
Genes and Development
14: 1553–1577.
Hahn S
(2004)
Structure and mechanism of the RNA polymerase II transcription machinery.
Nature Structural and Molecular Biology
11: 394–403.
Latchman DS
(1996a)
Transcription factor mutations and disease.
New England Journal of Medicine
334: 28–33.
Latchman DS
(1996b)
Inhibitory transcription factors.
International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
28: 965–974.
Latchman DS (ed.)
(1997)
Landmarks in Gene Regulation.
Colchester, UK:
Portland Press Limited.
Latchman DS (ed.)
(2005)
Gene Regulation: A Eukaryotic Perspective,
5th edn.
NewYork, USA:
Taylor and Francis, UK.
Latchman DS
(2004)
Eukaryotic Transcription Factors,
4th edn.
London, UK:
Elsevier/Academic Press
pp. 360.
Latchman DS (ed.)
(1998)
Transcription Factors: A Practical Approach,
2nd edn.
Oxford, UK:
IRL Press.
Mitchell PJ and
Tjian R
(1989)
Transcriptional regulation in mammalian cells by sequence specific DNA‐binding proteins.
Science
245: 371–378.
Pelham HRB
(1982)
A regulatory upstream promoter element in the Drosophila hsp70 heat shock gene.
Cell
30: 517–528.