General Interview Questions - Gene Regulatory Basics How is the expression of a gene controlled? What is the difference between a trans and a cis regulatory factor? How does a cell coordinate the expression of its many genes?

Concept Statements Emphasis in your teaching General importance 1. A gene consist of DNA sequences that are transcribed and those that are not. Both transcribed and non-transcribed sequences are used to regulate gene expression. The sequences of DNA that make up a gene need not occupy a single continuous stretch of DNA. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 2. The final products of genes can be RNAs or polypeptides. For genes that encode polypeptides a transitional (mRNA) RNA is produced through the processing of the primary transcript RNA. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 3. Gene expression refers to the level of the final gene product that a gene produces. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 4. The first step in the regulation of gene expression is the control of the number of copies of the gene's transcribed region that are synthesized. This synthesis is catalyzed by RNA polymerases. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 5. A gene has at least one, and may have more than one, distinct transcription start site. Each transcription start site is defined by a distinct promoter. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 6. A gene's promoter is the region of DNA that, through interactions with regulatory proteins (transaction or transcription factors), determines the binding site, binding affinity and enzymatic activity of RNA polymerase. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 7. Promoters can be (semi-arbitrarily) divided into proximal and distal elements. The proximal promoter is located near the transcription start site. Distal elements are located further away from the transcription start site. In humans, promoter elements can occupy many hundreds of kilobases of DNA both 'upstream' and 'downstream' of the transcription start site. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 8. It is possible that more than one gene can be present within a specific region of a DNA molecule; in fact more than one gene can use a specific DNA sequence. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 9. The ability of transcription factors to recognize and bind to DNA is regulated by the binding of other transcription factors and the packing of the DNA into chromatin. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 10. Once transcription begins, the amount of the final transcript that accumulates is a function of transcription, processing and degradation rates. Particularly in eukaryotes, transcript processing can be quite complex and include 5' cap addition, 3' polyadenylation, RNA splicing, RNA editing, RNA modification and RNA transport/localization within the cell. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 11. Differential splicing can generate different final RNA transcripts from a single gene. If the RNA is used to direct polypeptide synthesis, different transcripts can produce related by distinct polypeptides. The pattern of splicing can itself be regulated. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 12. Some transcripts are rapidly degraded, others are relatively stable. Transcript stability directly impacts gene expression. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 13. mRNAs can differ in the efficiency with which they engage the translational machinery. The efficiency of an mRNA's translation can be regulated Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 14. Once a polypeptide is synthesized, the efficiency with which it folds or assembles into a functional protein through interactions with other polypeptides and co-factors can be regulated. Misfolded proteins are often rapidly degraded. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong 15.The activity of a protein can be regulated directly, through interactions with allosteric effectors, competitive inhibitors and cooperative interactions. It can be regulated indirectly by controlling the cellular localization and stability. Emphasized Mentioned Not Covered Irrelevant Critical Important Marginal Wrong your email for tracking & responding only   Where do you teach? Outside of the USA Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist. Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming I do not teach I teach, but not biology I am researcher in the private sector I teach elementary secondary college level biology     I would add the following statement to the list:

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