Nuclear transcription factor Y subunit gamma is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''NFYC''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Function
The protein encoded by this gene is one subunit of a trimeric complex, forming a highly conserved
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription (genetics), transcription of genetics, genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding t ...
that binds with high specificity to
CCAAT motifs in the
promoter regions in a variety of genes. This gene product, subunit C, forms a tight dimer with the B subunit (
NFYB
Nuclear transcription factor Y subunit beta is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NFYB'' gene.
Function
The protein encoded by this gene is one subunit of a trimeric complex, forming a highly conserved transcription factor that binds ...
), a prerequisite for subunit A (
NFYA
Nuclear transcription factor Y subunit alpha is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NFYA'' gene.
Function
The protein encoded by this gene is one subunit of a trimeric complex NF-Y, forming a highly conserved transcription factor tha ...
) association. The resulting trimer binds to DNA with high specificity and affinity. Subunits B and C each contain a
histone
In biology, histones are highly basic proteins abundant in lysine and arginine residues that are found in eukaryotic cell nuclei and in most Archaeal phyla. They act as spools around which DNA winds to create structural units called nucleosomes ...
-like motif. Observation of the histone nature of these subunits is supported by two types of evidence; protein sequence alignments and experiments with mutants. Additional regulation, preliminarily supported by the EST database, may be represented by alternative splicing in this subunit.
Two
microRNA
Micro ribonucleic acid (microRNA, miRNA, μRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21–23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals, and even some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcr ...
s; miR-30c and miR-30e are located within
intron
An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is not expressed or operative in the final RNA product. The word ''intron'' is derived from the term ''intragenic region'', i.e., a region inside a gene."The notion of the cistron .e., gen ...
s of the ''nfyc'' gene. These microRNAs are actively transcribed in human insulin-producing
beta cell
Beta cells (β-cells) are specialized endocrine cells located within the pancreatic islets of Langerhans responsible for the production and release of insulin and amylin. Constituting ~50–70% of cells in human islets, beta cells play a vi ...
s in the
pancreatic islets
The pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that contain its endocrine (hormone-producing) cells, discovered in 1869 by German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans. The pancreatic islets constitute 1–2% o ...
that also show high expression of nfyc and
CDH1 genes. The expression of these intronic microRNAs is essential for maintaining the differentiated phenotype of human islet beta cells. Inhibition of miR-30 family microRNAs induces
epithelial-mesenchymal transition of human pancreatic islet cells.
Interactions
NFYC has been shown to
interact
Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advocating for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organization was founded in 2006 and fo ...
with
Myc
''Myc'' is a family of regulator genes and proto-oncogenes that code for transcription factors. The ''Myc'' family consists of three related human genes: ''c-myc'' ( MYC), ''l-myc'' ( MYCL), and ''n-myc'' ( MYCN). ''c-myc'' (also sometimes r ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Transcription factors
{{gene-1-stub