Final answer:
Transcription factors do not control exon splicing but are essential for regulating gene expression by aiding the transcription initiation process. Enhancers and silencers, bound by transcription factors, alter the efficiency of transcription. Exon splicing occurs post-transcriptionally.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is false. Transcription factors are involved in the regulation of gene expression by assisting in the process of transcription, where DNA is converted into RNA. They play a crucial role in ensuring that appropriate levels of RNA are synthesized from genes by affecting the binding of RNA polymerase to the DNA template strand and by responding to various environmental stimuli. However, transcription factors do not control exon splicing. Exon splicing is part of the post-transcriptional modifications that occur after the initial synthesis of RNA, where introns are removed and exons are joined together to form mature messenger RNA (mRNA).
Transcription factors can influence various aspects of transcription, including the rate of transcription and specificity of gene expression. They bind either directly to the promoter region of a gene or to enhancer and silencer elements that are located distally to it. The presence of transcription factors at these sites can either activate or repress transcription. Enhancers are regions that help increase the rate of transcription when specific transcription factors bind to them, whereas silencers have the opposite effect. Basal transcription factors, including TFIID, are involved in the formation of a preinitiation complex which is necessary for the recruitment of RNA polymerase II and the initiation of transcription.