Definition of Activator



An activator in the terms of the process of transcription is that protein which enhances the rate of transcription of the genes. This shows that the activators have a positive impact on the expression of the genes as they are required for the transcription of the genes and also promote it. Most of the activator molecules tend to bind to the enhancers as they are the DNA-binding proteins.

 


These activators also facilitate the binding of the transcriptional machinery to the promoter region. The activity of these activator molecules is highly regulated. Any modification can lead to increased or decreased activity. There are some activators which are also composed of an allosteric site and they tend to show their activity only if a certain molecule is bound to them.

 

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