Transregulatoren

Transregulatoren is a term used in genetics to denote regulatory factors that influence gene expression from a genomic location different from the gene they regulate (trans-acting regulators). These regulators act in trans, whereas cis-regulatory elements such as promoters and enhancers regulate nearby or adjoining sequences on the same DNA molecule. Transregulatoren include transcription factors, coactivators and corepressors that interact with the transcriptional machinery, as well as certain non-coding RNAs that modulate chromatin states or mRNA stability at distant loci.

In practice, trans-regulators affect multiple target genes and contribute to gene regulatory networks that coordinate development, physiology and responses to environmental cues. Classic examples are transcription factors that bind promoters or enhancers of distant genes, recruitment of co-factors and chromatin modifiers, and RNA molecules such as microRNAs or long non-coding RNAs that act in trans to influence transcriptional or post-transcriptional outcomes.

Studying transregulatoren involves genome-wide and molecular approaches. ChIP-sequencing identifies binding sites, while transcriptome analyses and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping reveal trans-acting effects. Functional tests include knockouts, knockdowns or CRISPR-based perturbations to establish direct regulatory relationships, and computational network inference to reconstruct regulatory wiring.

Terminology varies by language, with trans-acting regulators and transregulatoren often used interchangeably with transcription factors or broader regulatory factors, though not every transregulator acts as a classical DNA-binding protein. Understanding transregulatoren is central to deciphering gene regulatory networks and their roles in development, disease and adaptation.