transcriptionmediated

Transcriptionmediated is an adjective used in biology to describe processes or regulatory events that are mediated by transcription, the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template by RNA polymerase. In this sense, transcriptionmediated effects are those that depend on transcriptional activity—such as the initiation of RNA production, chromatin remodeling associated with transcription, or downstream pathways initiated by newly made transcripts.

In molecular diagnostics, a closely related term is transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), an isothermal nucleic acid amplification technique designed to detect RNA targets with high sensitivity. In TMA, reverse transcription converts RNA targets into cDNA, after which RNA polymerase generates multiple RNA transcripts. Those transcripts can re-enter the cycle, yielding exponential amplification at a constant temperature, typically around 42 to 45°C. TMA is used to detect various pathogens and biomarkers in clinical samples, offering rapid turnaround and the ability to operate without thermal cycling equipment.

Other uses of the concept include transcription-mediated gene regulation and transcription-mediated silencing, referring to regulatory mechanisms where transcriptional activity influences gene expression or chromatin state. The term reflects the central role of transcription in initiating or propagating biological processes.

See also: transcription, transcriptional regulation, RNA polymerase, gene expression, amplification techniques.