transcription factor
noun
: any of various proteins that bind to DNA and play a role in the regulation of gene expression by promoting transcription
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web This transcription factor upregulates the activity of 345 genes, most of them known to respond to salt, drought, and cold stresses. 
Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, 29 July 2022 This cascade of reactions leads to the activation of the transcription factor NFkB. NFkB induces several cell defenses, including inflammation. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 Babonis found that a single transcription factor was enough to stop immature cells from developing as neurons and turn them into stinging cells instead, complete with a barbed, coiled filament for capturing prey. Quanta Magazine, 16 Aug. 2021 The snapdragon gene in Martin’s tomato, for instance, is known as a transcription factor: essentially, a kind of volume knob that regulates how much of something a particular gene will produce. New York Times, 20 July 2021 Frazer wanted to know how a heart-specific transcription factor called NKX2-5 influenced those traits. Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 10 Sep. 2020 Semenza discovered a protein complex called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which is composed of two transcription factors—proteins that control the transcription of DNA into RNA—called HIF-1α and ARNT. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2019 In 1952, well before developmental biologists spoke in terms of Hox genes and transcription factors, or even understood DNA’s structure, Alan Turing had an idea. Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2019 Scientists achieve this transformation by bathing the stem cells in a solution containing the right cocktail of transcription factors, molecules that guide fetal development by regulating how genes are turned on or off. Bret Stetka, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2019 See More
Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, 29 July 2022 This cascade of reactions leads to the activation of the transcription factor NFkB. NFkB induces several cell defenses, including inflammation. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 Babonis found that a single transcription factor was enough to stop immature cells from developing as neurons and turn them into stinging cells instead, complete with a barbed, coiled filament for capturing prey. Quanta Magazine, 16 Aug. 2021 The snapdragon gene in Martin’s tomato, for instance, is known as a transcription factor: essentially, a kind of volume knob that regulates how much of something a particular gene will produce. New York Times, 20 July 2021 Frazer wanted to know how a heart-specific transcription factor called NKX2-5 influenced those traits. Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 10 Sep. 2020 Semenza discovered a protein complex called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which is composed of two transcription factors—proteins that control the transcription of DNA into RNA—called HIF-1α and ARNT. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2019 In 1952, well before developmental biologists spoke in terms of Hox genes and transcription factors, or even understood DNA’s structure, Alan Turing had an idea. Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2019 Scientists achieve this transformation by bathing the stem cells in a solution containing the right cocktail of transcription factors, molecules that guide fetal development by regulating how genes are turned on or off. Bret Stetka, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1969, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
transcription factor
noun
: any of various proteins that bind to DNA and play a role in the regulation of gene expression by promoting transcription