Everything about Gene Silencing totally explained
Gene silencing is a general term describing
epigenetic processes of
gene regulation. The term gene silencing is generally used to describe the "switching off" of a gene by a mechanism other than
genetic modification. That is, a gene which would be expressed (turned on) under normal circumstances is switched off by machinery in the cell.
Genes are regulated at either the
transcriptional or
post-transcriptional level.
Transcriptional gene silencing is the result of
histone modifications, creating an environment of
heterochromatin around a gene that makes it inaccessible to transcriptional machinery (
RNA polymerase,
transcription factors, etc.).
Post-transcriptional gene silencing is the result of
mRNA of a particular gene being destroyed. The destruction of the mRNA prevents
translation to form an active gene product (in most cases, a
protein). A common mechanism of post-transcriptional gene silencing is
RNAi.
Both transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing are used to regulate endogenous genes. Mechanisms of gene silencing also protect the organism's genome from
transposons and
viruses. Gene silencing thus may be part of an ancient immune system protecting from such infectious
DNA elements.
Genes may be silenced by
DNA methylation during
meiosis, as in the filamentous fungus
Neurospora crassa.
Specific studies of gene silencing
There are several more terms related to specific topics of gene silencing:
Transcriptional Gene Silencing:
Post-transcriptional Gene Silencing:
post-transcriptional gene silencing
RNAi
Nonsense mediated decay (NMD)
Meiotic gene silencing:
Transvection
Meiotic silencing of unpaired DNA
Cellular components of gene silencing:
Histones
Chromatin and heterochromatin
MicroRNA
siRNA
dsRNA
Dicer
Transposons
Ribozyme technology and antisense technology are the two approach used in the post transcriptional gene silencing and that's the way to suppress the gene.Further Information
Get more info on 'Gene Silencing'.
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