Question

Imagine that you are studying the control of β-globin gene expression in immature red blood cells (mature red blood cells contain β-globin protein but lack a nucleus and therefore the β-globin gene). If you deleted a sequence of DNA outside the protein-coding region of the β-globin gene and found that this increased the rate of transcription, the deleted sequence likely functions as a(n) _____. a. enhancer b. promoter-proximal c. element promoter d. silencer e. any of the above

Answer 1

d. silencer

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the information provided within the question it can be said that the deleted sequence most likely functions as a silencer. This term refers to a DNA sequence that is located thousands of base pairs away from the gene that they actually control. In this situation, seeing as the DNA sequence that was found outside the protein coding region actually affected the rate of transcription when it was deleted then it is considered a silencer.