Question

2. Describe the different mechanisms (stages) by which gene regulation can occur.

Answer 1

Gene regulation mechanisms:
1. Epigenetic modifications: These modifications alter the recruitment of RNA polymerase to the gene locus by changing the compactness of the chromatin. Ex: Histone modifications and DNA methylation.

2. Transcriptional gene regulation: Activators and repressors regulate the recruitment of RNA polymerase to the target gene loci.

3. Post-transcriptional gene regulation: Regulation of mRNA stability, splicing and miRNAs/siRNAs.

4. Translational gene regulation: Regulation of ribosome recruitment to the mRNA

5. Post-translation regulation: Regulation of protein folding, localization, covalent modification, protein-protein interactions, and protein stability.