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. 2016 Jul;8(7):a023895. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a023895

Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Transcriptional gene switches. (A) Prokaryotic regulator proteins are fused to transcriptional regulator proteins and bind to DNA operator sequences to control the transcription of target genes in a ligand-responsive manner. (B) Combining prokaryotic regulator proteins with ligand- or light-induced dimerization systems (DSs) enables the signal-dependent recruitment of transcriptional regulator proteins. (C) Cell-surface-located G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) sense extracellular signals and trigger signal transduction via signaling pathways to control cellular processes such as gene transcription in target cells. (D) An engineered diguanylate cyclase (DGCL) synthesizes the second messenger c-di-GMP in a red-light-responsive manner, triggering a downstream signaling pathway and leading to the transcriptional activation of target genes. DBD, DNA-binding domain; SD, sensory domain; TR, transcriptional regulator; IPA, interaction partner A; IPB, interaction partner B; TF, transcription factor; GTP, guanosine triphosphate.