DNA structure influences the function of transcription factors
Substances known as transcription factors often determine how a cell develops as well as which proteins it produces and in what quantities. Transcription factors bind to a section of DNA and control how strongly a gene in that section is activated. Scientists had previously assumed that gene activity is controlled by the binding strength and the proximity of the binding site to the gene. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered that the DNA segment to which a transcription factor binds can assume various spatial arrangements. As a result, it alters the structure of the transcription factor itself and controls its activity. Neighbouring DNA segments have a significant impact on transcription factor shape, thus modulating the activity of the gene.