In: Biology
How can cis- and trans- acting regulatory elements be distinguished?
In terms of transcription regulation, Cis-acting elements do not code for protein or RNA whereas a trans-acting element is usually a DNA sequence that contains a gene. The gene codes for a protein, which will be used in the regulation of another target gene. The trans-acting gene may be on the same chromosome as the target gene, but the activity is via the intermediary protein or RNA that it encodes.