Coactivation is a process by which the transcription

Transcription (genetics)

Transcription is the process of creating a complementary RNA copy of a sequence of DNA. Both RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, which use base pairs of nucleotides as a complementary language that can be converted back and forth from DNA to RNA by the action of the correct enzymes...

 of RNA

RNA

Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....

 is increased. Protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

s called coactivators

Coactivator (genetics)

A coactivator is a protein that increases gene expression by binding to an activator which contains a DNA binding domain. The coactivator is unable to bind DNA by itself....

 are recruited to DNA-binding transcription factor

Transcription factor

In molecular biology and genetics, a transcription factor is a protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, thereby controlling the flow of genetic information from DNA to mRNA...

s through their activation domains and increase transcription by relaxing the chromatin

Chromatin

Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the contents of the nucleus of a cell. The primary functions of chromatin are; to package DNA into a smaller volume to fit in the cell, to strengthen the DNA to allow mitosis and meiosis and prevent DNA damage, and to control gene...

 structure to allow greater access to a gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

 or by bringing in components of the basal transcription complex

General transcription factor

General transcription factors or basal transcription factors are protein transcription factors that have been shown to be important in the transcription of class II genes to mRNA templates...

 needed for transcription to occur. Examples of coactivators are CBP

CREB binding protein

CREB-binding protein, also known as CREBBP or CBP, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CREBBP gene.The CREB protein carries out its function by activating transcription, where interaction with transcription factors is managed by one or more of p300 domains: the nuclear receptor...

, p300

EP300

E1A binding protein p300 also known as EP300 or p300 is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the EP300 gene. This protein regulates the activity of many genes in tissues throughout the body...

, and SWI/SNF

SWI/SNF

SWI/SNF is a yeast nucleosome remodeling complex composed of several proteins – products of the SWI and SNF genes as well as several other polypeptides...

.