transcription factor

noun

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Definition of transcription factor

: any of various proteins that bind to DNA and play a role in the regulation of gene expression by promoting transcription

Recent Examples of transcription factor from the Web

Like all transcription factors, STAT3 functions by binding specific bits of DNA to control gene expression.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Scientists use caffeine to control genes—and treat diabetic mice with coffee," 20 June 2018
The most finely tuned of these was a system that used a regulator called EpoR, which becomes active when its dimerizes and triggers a transcription factor, called STAT3.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Scientists use caffeine to control genes—and treat diabetic mice with coffee," 20 June 2018
And although the activity of key transcription factor genes was similar in common cell types, the activity of other genes in some cell types differed more than the researchers expected between the two species.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "How one cell gives rise to an entire body," 26 Apr. 2018
Adding seven transcription factors — proteins that switch on genes — the team then converted the IPSCs into immature HSC-like cells.

— linda marsa, Discover Magazine, "Making Blood Cells in the Laboratory," 1 Feb. 2018
The Weill Cornell researchers’ process was more direct: Four transcription factors prompted adult mouse endothelial cells, which line the inside of blood vessels, to turn into HSCs.

— linda marsa, Discover Magazine, "Making Blood Cells in the Laboratory," 1 Feb. 2018
Dasen and his colleagues also looked at a genetic transcription factor called Foxp1, located at the spinal cord in tetrapods.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "What a Walking Fish Can Teach Us About Human Evolution," 9 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transcription factor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.