Dominic Schmidt
Doctoral Student; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge
Cancer Research UK
Cambridge Research Institute
Li Ka Shing Centre
Robinson Way, Cambridge,
CB2 0RE
phone: +44-1223404248
email: Dominic.Schmidt 'at' cancer 'dot' org 'dot' uk
Myriad points of control influence gene expression; however, it has also
been an unresolved question as to which of these mechanisms has the most
influence globally. We recently showed that each layer of transcriptional regulation
within the adult hepatocyte, from the binding of liver master regulators and
chromatin remodelling complexes to the output of the transcriptional machinery, is
directed primarily by DNA sequence. Although conservation of motifs alone cannot
predict transcription factor binding, we show that within the genetic sequence there
must be embedded adequate instructions to direct species-specific transcription: