What determines whether a gene is transcribed or not ?
This depends on the other proteins that are present in the cell. These proteins are collectively known as "transcription factors".
Every gene consists of a protein coding sequence which begins with a start codon and ends with a stop codon. Apart from this, a gene must have regulatory sequences associated with it. The regulatory sequences act as binding sites for RNA polymerase and its accessory molecules. The regulatory sequences with their bound proteins dictate the activity state of the gene. The regulatory sequences contain the promoter region together with enhancer elements.
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