Trans-acting

Trans-acting refers to a mechanism in molecular biology where interactions occur between factors that are not physically located together but can influence each other's activity. This term is often used in the context of genetic regulation, where trans-acting elements, such as proteins or RNA molecules, can affect the expression of genes located elsewhere in the genome. For example, transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences near genes (called cis-acting elements) to regulate their transcription.