The TBX20 transcription factor is important for the developmentof heart tissue. Deletion of the Tbx20 gene in mice results in poorheart development and the death of mice well before birth. Tobetter understand how TBX20 regulates heart development ata genetic level, Sakabe et al. (2012. Hum. Mol. Genet. 21:2194–2204) performed a transcriptome analysis in which they comparedthe levels of all mRNAs between heart cells from wild-typemice and mice with Tbx20 deleted. This study concluded that TBX20 acts as an activator ofsome genes but a repressor of other genes in cardiac tissue.How might a single transcription factor have oppositeeffects on the transcription of different genes?
Gene Interactions
When the expression of a single trait is influenced by two or more different non-allelic genes, it is termed as genetic interaction. According to Mendel's law of inheritance, each gene functions in its own way and does not depend on the function of another gene, i.e., a single gene controls each of seven characteristics considered, but the complex contribution of many different genes determine many traits of an organism.
Gene Expression
Gene expression is a process by which the instructions present in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are converted into useful molecules such as proteins, and functional messenger ribonucleic (mRNA) molecules in the case of non-protein-coding genes.
The TBX20 transcription factor is important for the development
of heart tissue. Deletion of the Tbx20 gene in mice results in poor
heart development and the death of mice well before birth. To
better understand how TBX20 regulates heart development at
a genetic level, Sakabe et al. (2012. Hum. Mol. Genet. 21:2194–
2204) performed a transcriptome analysis in which they compared
the levels of all mRNAs between heart cells from wild-type
mice and mice with Tbx20 deleted.
This study concluded that TBX20 acts as an activator of
some genes but a repressor of other genes in cardiac tissue.
How might a single transcription factor have opposite
effects on the transcription of different genes?
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