Triplex Formation-Based Artificial Transcription Factor to Regulate Target Gene Expression

Abstract

A triplex formation-based artificial transcription factor to recognize any upstream sequence of target genes was developed to regulate the target gene expression. The artificial transcription factor contains a single-stranded RNA to bind with duplex DNA of the upstream sequence of the target gene to form triplex, and an effecter domain, such as activation or repression domain, of transcription factor. Reporter β -galactosidase activity in yeast was increased 1.5–2 times by introduction of the artificial transcription factor. The novel artificial transcription factor may be a useful tool to regulate the target gene expression and reveal unknown function of the target genes.

Keywords:

• triplex
• transcription factor
• gene expression

This research was supported in part by The Futaba Electronics Memorial Foundation.

Notes

^a Significantly large values as compared with those of control experiments (Exp. No. 1, 2, 8, and 18) by the Mann-Whitney U-test.