Abstract

The transcription of genes could be defined as the intricate molecular manoeuvres occurring in the nuclei of cells, which allow the translation of genetic information held in the DNA into the proteins required for life. Gene transcription is the dominant control point in the production of any protein, and is initiated and regulated through the combined activities of a highly specialised set of nuclear proteins. This review examines the role of these protein “transcription factors” in the production of messenger RNA, the information intermediary produced in the nucleus, and transferred to the cytoplasm to serve as a template for protein synthesis. In combination with RNA polymerase, an extraordinary and complex enzyme required to synthesise new RNA molecules, a multitude of transcription factors combine their activities to orchestrate and control this elegant process.