The goal of studying gene regulation is to be able to understand the DNA-protein and protein-protein interactions at the same level of detail as computer scientists understand the connections in microcircuits. Among the seminal ideas in regulation is that DNA-binding proteins bind to DNA with positive cooperatively, which means that, as each subunit of a complex is bound with DNA, it facilitates the binding of the next subunit. Cooperative binding creates efficient "molecular switches" to control transcription. This keyword site includes an excellent nontechnical summary of some of the key advances in studies of gene regulation.

The keyword database of transcription factors gives easy access to sequences and structural diagrams showing the key motifs of each of the numerous types and subtypes of DNA binding proteins involved in transcriptional regulation. View examples of each of the four major categories of transcription factors: those having basic domains (includes leucine zipper factors and helix-loop-helix factors), those having zinc-coordinating DNA-binding domains (includes all zinc-finger factors), those having helix-turn-helix motifs (includes all homeo domains), and those having beta-scaffold factors with minor groove contacts (includes the MADS box factor that figure prominently in plant development).

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