💡Purpose of gene regulation

Gene regulation is the process of controlling...

...which genes are expressed

...when they are expressed, and 

...to what extent they are expressed.

Controlling the expression of genes ensure that proteins are made at the right time. In the case of multicellular eukaryotic organisms, gene regulation also ensures that proteins are made in the right cells, leading to a variety of cell specialisations and functions.

💡Complexity of eukaryotic gene regulation

Due to compartmentalisation in eukaryotic cells, the process of transcription (in the nucleus) is physically and temporally separated from translation (in the cytoplasm). As such, gene expression in eukaryotic cells has more stages than that in prokaryotes. This also means that are more points of control for eukaryotic gene expression, creating a more complex and flexible system for gene regulation! 

The figure below shows how a gene is expressed and the levels at which gene regulation can occur. 

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Hover your cursor on each level to access more information about gene expression can be regulated.