How does the expression of Delta on the surface of a cell activate the expression of certain genes in the nucleus of its neighboring cell?
A) Delta binding activates Notch, which activates a transcriptional activator through the JAK-STAT pathway.
B) Delta binding leads to the stabilization of a cytoskeleton-associated transcriptional activator.
C) Delta binding releases the intracellular tail of Notch, which enters the nucleus and converts a transcriptional repressor into a transcriptional activator.
D) Delta binding leads to Notch-mediated recruitment of protein complexes to the plasma membrane, resulting in the degradation of a transcriptional repressor.
E) Delta binding leads to the proteolytic cleavage of Notch and inhibition of its activity as a transcriptional repressor, leading to the activation of target genes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Upon Notch binding to Delta, a plasma-membrane-bound protease cleaves off a cytoplasmic segment of Notch, which enters the nucleus to activate the expression of target genes. The fragment acts by binding to a DNA-binding protein and converting it from a transcriptional repressor into a transcriptional activator.

How Does the Expression of Delta on the Surface of a Cell