What is the primary mechanism by which eukaryotes control transcription during cellular differentiation?
A) regulatory transcription factors that influence chromatin structure and bind to regulatory regions
B) production of microRNAs to disable mRNAs that should not be expressed
C) post-translational control of proteins through ubiquitination and phosphorylation
D) alternative splicing of genes in different tissue types
E) inhibition of RNA polymerase through the expression of inhibitory enzymes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Regulatory transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences to activate or repress gene expression. They can modify chromatin structure, recruit other transcription factors or co-activators or co-repressors, and control the timing and level of gene expression during development and differentiation.

Answer: D
 Alternative splicing is a process by which different exons in a pre-mRNA can be spliced together to generate multiple mRNA isoforms that encode different proteins. This can result in tissue-specific patterns of gene expression, by allowing for different combinations of exons to be expressed in different cell types.

What Is the Primary Mechanism by Which Eukaryotes Control Transcription