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. 2011 Dec 17;2(11):879–888. doi: 10.1007/s13238-011-1101-7

Transcriptional activators and activation mechanisms

Jun Ma 1,✉
PMCID: PMC4712173  PMID: 22180087

Abstract

Transcriptional activators are required to turn on the expression of genes in a eukaryotic cell. Activators bound to the enhancer can facilitate either the recruitment of RNA polymerase II to the promoter or its elongation. This article examines a few selected issues in understanding activator functions and activation mechanisms.

Keywords: activator, transcription, co-activator, enhancer, promoter, signal transduction, development

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