Okuzeka
Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Gene Expression and Regulation

Promoter

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

/prəˈmoʊtər/nounCommon term

In genetics & biotechnology, promoter means: A region of DNA just before a gene where RNA polymerase and transcription factors bind to start transcription.

In Turkish: promotör, promotör bölgesi

How it is used

Used in gene regulation and genetic engineering. Promoters can be strong or weak, constitutive (always on) or inducible (switched on by a signal). When building a construct, you put a gene 'under the control of' a promoter such as CMV.

Example sentences

  1. We cloned the gene under a strong promoter to get high expression.

  2. Methylation of the promoter switches the gene off in tumor cells.

Common collocations

  • strong promoter
  • inducible promoter
  • promoter region
  • under the control of a promoter
  • promoter activity
  • transcriptionThe first step of gene expression, in which an enzyme called RNA polymerase copies the DNA sequence of a gene into a matching RNA molecule.
  • transcription factorA protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, usually near a promoter, and switches the transcription of certain genes on or off.
  • gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein, and the level at which this happens in a cell.
  • epigeneticsThe study of changes in gene activity that do not alter the DNA sequence itself, such as DNA methylation and chemical marks on histone proteins.
  • vectorA DNA molecule, such as a plasmid or a modified virus, used to carry a gene into a cell, where it can be copied or expressed.

More terms: Gene Expression and Regulation

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: