repressor
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun 1. An agent that represses: A substance, often a protein, that binds to a specific operator on DNA to prevent the transcription of a gene or set of genes, thereby repressing or inhibiting gene expression.
Usage
The term is used primarily in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. It describes a specific regulatory molecule that actively suppresses biological activity, most commonly the expression of a gene.
Examples
- Noun:
- The lac repressor protein binds to the operator region to block transcription of the lac operon in the absence of lactose.
- A mutation in the repressor gene can lead to the constitutive expression of the genes it normally controls.
Advanced Usage
- "Repressor complex": A larger assembly of proteins, where the core repressor protein works with other co-factors to inhibit gene expression.
- The transcriptional repressor complex was found to contain several histone deacetylases.
- "Repressor-operator interaction": The specific binding event between a repressor molecule and its target DNA sequence.
- The study focused on the kinetics of the repressor-operator interaction.
Variants and Related Words
- Repress (verb): To restrain, prevent, or inhibit.
- The protein functions to repress gene activity.
- Repression (noun): The act or process of repressing; in genetics, the inhibition of gene transcription.
- Gene repression is a key mechanism for cellular regulation.
- Corepressor (noun): A molecule that binds to and activates a repressor protein.
- The metabolite acts as a corepressor, enabling the repressor to bind DNA more effectively.
Synonyms
- Inhibitor: A general term for an agent that slows or prevents a process.
- Suppressor: An agent that holds back, stops, or reduces activity.
Antonyms
- Activator: An agent that increases the rate of gene transcription or other biological activity.
- Inducer: A molecule that inactivates a repressor, thereby initiating gene expression.