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Stenka25 Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary
What does the ‘key step’ refer to?
What does the ‘key step’ refer to?
The passage below is from ‘the Blank Slate’ by Steven Pinker.
http://evolbiol.ru/blankslate/blankslate.htm
A promising example is the F0XP2 gene, associated with a speech and language disorder in a large family. The aberrant nucleotide has been found in every impaired member of the family (and in one unrelated person with the same syndrome), but it was not found in any of the unimpaired members, nor was it found in 364 chromosomes from unrelated normal people. The gene belongs to a family of genes for transcription factors — proteins that turn on other genes — that are known to play important roles in embryogenesis. The mutation disrupts the part of the protein that latches onto a particular region of DNA, the key step in turning on the right gene at the right time.
In this passage I want to know what the underlined 'key step’ stands for?
It seems to refer to ‘latches onto a particular region of DNA’ (so the step plays a key role in turning on the right gene at the right time).
Am I right?
Wish for your replies.
Regards.
The passage below is from ‘the Blank Slate’ by Steven Pinker.
http://evolbiol.ru/blankslate/blankslate.htm
A promising example is the F0XP2 gene, associated with a speech and language disorder in a large family. The aberrant nucleotide has been found in every impaired member of the family (and in one unrelated person with the same syndrome), but it was not found in any of the unimpaired members, nor was it found in 364 chromosomes from unrelated normal people. The gene belongs to a family of genes for transcription factors — proteins that turn on other genes — that are known to play important roles in embryogenesis. The mutation disrupts the part of the protein that latches onto a particular region of DNA, the key step in turning on the right gene at the right time.
In this passage I want to know what the underlined 'key step’ stands for?
It seems to refer to ‘latches onto a particular region of DNA’ (so the step plays a key role in turning on the right gene at the right time).
Am I right?
Wish for your replies.
Regards.
Top answer
In the chemistry of the cell nucleus, DNA (the chemical containing the nucleotide sequences of the genes) is transcribed onto messenger RNA (the chemical that carries those genes into the cell body to build proteins). " For a gene to be expressed, its nucleotides must be chemically available to the enzymes that build the mRNA. Some of the proteins that get built are transcription factors, which chemically bind to a gene's nucleotides to prevent gene expression and release from the gene's nucleotides to enable gene expression.
- In the chemistry of the cell nucleus, DNA (the chemical containing the nucleotide sequences of the genes) is transcribed onto messenger RNA (the chemical that carries those genes into the cell body to build proteins).
- " For a gene to be expressed, its nucleotides must be chemically available to the enzymes that build the mRNA.
- Some of the proteins that get built are transcription factors, which chemically bind to a gene's nucleotides to prevent gene expression and release from the gene's nucleotides to enable gene expression.
- " So the key step in getting a gene expressed at the right time is the proper operation of the transcription factors, and their job is "latching" and "unlatching" from DNA on schedule.
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2 Answers
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In the chemistry of the cell nucleus, DNA (the chemical containing the nucleotide sequences of the genes) is transcribed onto messenger RNA (the chemical that carries those genes into the cell body to build proteins). Those genes so transcribed are said to be "turned on" or "expressed." For a gene to be expressed, its nucleotides must be chemically available to the enzymes that build the mRNA.
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