Evaluating Enhancer Function and Transcription.
Cell-type- and condition-specific profiles of gene expression require coordination between protein-coding gene promoters and cis-regulatory sequences called enhancers. Enhancers can stimulate gene activity at great genomic distances from their targets, raising questions about how enhancers communicate with specific gene promoters and what molecular mechanisms underlie enhancer function. Characterization of enhancer loci has identified the molecular features of active enhancers that accompany the binding of transcription factors and local opening of chromatin. These characteristics include coactivator recruitment, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA transcription. However, it remains unclear which of these features functionally contribute to enhancer activity. Here, we discuss what is known about how enhancers regulate their target genes and how enhancers and promoters communicate. Further, we describe recent data demonstrating many similarities between enhancers and the gene promoters they control, and we highlight unanswered questions in the field, such as the potential roles of transcription at enhancers.
['Field|Andrew|A|', 'Adelman|Karen|K|']
D000818:Animals D002843:Chromatin D004247:DNA D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic D005057:Eukaryotic Cells D005786:Gene Expression Regulation D056426:Genetic Loci D016678:Genome D042421:Histone Code D006657:Histones D006801:Humans D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic D012319:RNA Polymerase II D012333:RNA, Messenger D014157:Transcription Factors D014158:Transcription, Genetic
enhancers promoters histone modifications gene regulation noncoding transcription