What makes a gene a transcription Factor - (Apr/24/2006 )
What is the characteristic of a gene which qualify as a transcription factor ? Does this mean that a regulator gene is a transcription factor? I found this gene A which may act as a regulator of an other gene B but how can this gene A be a regulator of the other gene B. When gene B are not a transcription factor? So I need to make sure what qualify a gene to be a transcriptioin factor? and can a gene still regulate others without being a tracscription factor gene?
Hi.
A protein is a transcription factor if it regulates the expression of another gene, either positively or negatively. So, the simple answer to your question is, yes, your gene A is a transcription factor, if it does in fact regulate the expression of gene B.
Swanny:
So that means I need to confirm that gene A can regulate rather through siRNA and Q-PCR or I have to prove that gene A and gene B do actually interact protein wise using pulling assay or protein ppt... can I just use Western blotting ...to see the decrease or increase of the gene A and gene B ... will western blotting be convincing enough.
vio
I'd probably qualify that by saying that it affects transcription by direct or indirect DNA binding within a gene's promoter or enhancer sequences and recruitment of TFIID, RNA polymerase etc. Gene A could be a cytokine or kinase that activates a transcription factor pathway indirectly. Do you know if it binds the promoter of your other gene?
Ceri
Ceri
I used the Match programme... www.gene-regulation.com ... to check .. but Gene A does not binds to the promotor of my gene of interest ...... However Gene A itself is a kinase ... therefore it could activated transcription factor ...