MyoD is a transcriptional activator that turns on theexpression of several muscle-specific genes in humancells. The Id gene product inhibits MyoD action.a. One possibility is that the Id protein directly represses the expression of these muscle-specificgenes. Explain how Id would function if it were arepressor.b. Another possibility is that Id inhibits musclespecific gene transcription indirectly, by preventingMyoD function. Explain how Id could function asan indirect repressor.c. Suppose you know the amino acid sequence ofthe Id protein. How might this information supportthe hypothesis in part (a) or in part (b)?
Gene Interactions
When the expression of a single trait is influenced by two or more different non-allelic genes, it is termed as genetic interaction. According to Mendel's law of inheritance, each gene functions in its own way and does not depend on the function of another gene, i.e., a single gene controls each of seven characteristics considered, but the complex contribution of many different genes determine many traits of an organism.
Gene Expression
Gene expression is a process by which the instructions present in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are converted into useful molecules such as proteins, and functional messenger ribonucleic (mRNA) molecules in the case of non-protein-coding genes.
MyoD is a transcriptional activator that turns on the
expression of several muscle-specific genes in human
cells. The Id gene product inhibits MyoD action.
a. One possibility is that the Id protein directly represses the expression of these muscle-specific
genes. Explain how Id would function if it were a
repressor.
b. Another possibility is that Id inhibits musclespecific gene transcription indirectly, by preventing
MyoD function. Explain how Id could function as
an indirect repressor.
c. Suppose you know the amino acid sequence of
the Id protein. How might this information support
the hypothesis in part (a) or in part (b)?
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