Artificial transcription factor

An artificial transcription factor is an example of a chimeral protein, designed to target and modulate gene transcription.^[1]

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They are generally composed of a DNA-binding domain (specific to a certain sequence) coupled to a modulatory domain (which acts upon other transcription factors) in order to alter the expression of a particular gene. It is also possible to downregulate expression of a gene by targeting the 5' untranslated region with a DNA-binding domain that lacks a regulatory domain; this will reduce transcription simply by blocking RNA polymerase progression along the DNA template.

References

1. ^ Gommans W, Haisma H, Rots M (2005). "Engineering zinc finger protein transcription factors: the therapeutic relevance of switching endogenous gene expression on or off at command". J. Mol. Biol. 354 (3): 507-19. PMID 16253273.

See also

• Therapeutic gene modulation
• Zinc finger
• Zinc finger protein transcription factor
• Chimera (protein)
• Protein engineering