Transregulator

Transregulator refers to a regulatory molecule that acts in trans to influence the expression of genes other than its own. Typically these regulators are diffusible proteins, RNAs, or RNA-protein complexes that can move within the cell to affect multiple target genes, regardless of their chromosomal location. Transregulators can modulate transcription, RNA stability, or translation by acting on DNA, RNA, or associated protein complexes.

Transregulators are distinguished from cis-regulatory elements, which are DNA sequences located near or within the genes they regulate and act locally. Transregulators, by contrast, are capable of acting on multiple targets that may be on different DNA molecules. They often function by binding to promoter or enhancer regions, interacting with RNA or chromatin, or forming regulatory complexes with other proteins to influence gene expression.

Examples of transregulators include transcription factors such as LacI and CRP in bacteria, and p53 in eukaryotes, which bind specific DNA sequences to modulate the transcription of numerous genes. In addition, small regulatory RNAs and RNA-binding proteins can act in trans to control mRNA stability, translation, or degradation in bacteria and eukaryotes. In synthetic biology, transregulators are used to construct modular gene circuits that respond to signals and regulate downstream expression.

Limitations of transregulators include potential off-target effects, context dependence, and compatibility with the host cellular environment. Understanding and leveraging transregulators is central to decoding gene regulatory networks and to designing programmable regulatory systems in research and biotechnology.