Spatial structure determines transcription factor activity
Clay can be used in various forms for a range of objects
such as cups, plates or bricks. Similarly, proteins can transform their
structure and thus adapt their function and activity. Researchers at the Max
Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have analysed proteins for
such modifications that control gene activity, so-called transcription factors.
The researchers thereby discovered that DNA changes the form and the activity
of the glucocorticoid receptor, and also ascertained how various domains in the
molecule communicate with one another. Furthermore, the way in which the
protein domains are connected also changes as a result of the integration of
individual amino acids in the protein chain. Different genes are therefore
transcribed to varying degrees.