Transcription Factors May Inadvertently Lock in DNA Mistakes
Published:27 Oct.2020 Source:Duke University
Transcription factor proteins are the light switches of the human genome. By binding to DNA, they help turn genes "on" or "off" and start the important process of copying DNA into an RNA template that acts as a blueprint for a new protein.
By being choosy about which genes they turn on, transcription factors determine which rooms in the house are lighted and which aren't, or rather, which components of a person's genome are activated.