Biological Glossary | What is Attenuator?

Attenuator in biotechnology refers to a nucleotide sequence in DNA that can lead to premature termination of transcription, a process found in bacteria and archaea. This mechanism, known as attenuation, involves a provisional stop signal in the DNA segment that corresponds to the leader sequence of mRNA, leading to a stall in the ribosome in the attenuator region in the mRNA leader. Depending on metabolic conditions, the attenuator either stops transcription or allows read-through to the mRNA's structural gene part and synthesis of the appropriate protein. This mechanism provides sensitive and fast regulation of gene operons, usually repressing genes in the presence of their product or a downstream metabolite. Attenuators are classified based on the type of molecule that induces the change in RNA structure.

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