Going the Distance: A Current View of Enhancer Action
Abstract
In eukaryotes, transcription of genes by RNA polymerase II yields messenger RNA intermediates from which protein products are synthesized. Transcriptional enhancers are discrete DNA elements that contain specific sequence motifs with which DNA-binding proteins interact and transmit molecular signals to genes. Here, current models regarding the role of enhancers in the regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II are presented.
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A typical enhancer is probably hundreds of base-pairs in length and acts over a few to tens of kilobases.
“Although the endogenous distributions of enhancer sizes and enhancer–gene distances remain an important topic of exploration, a typical enhancer is probably hundreds of base-pairs in length70,71, and acts over a few to tens of kilobases72.”
From Towards a comprehensive catalogue of validated and target-linked human enhancers (2020) · cites this paper as [70]
Enhancer elements amplify transcriptional signals through physical contact with target promoters in the presence of RNA polymerase II, while located either upstream or downstream of the promoter.
“Enhancer element functions by amplifying transcriptional signals through physical contact with its target promoters in the presence of RNA polymerase II, while located either in the upstream or downstream of the promoter [19].”
From Designing and optimizing AAV-mediated gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases: from bench to bedside (2024) · cites this paper as [19]
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“Enhancers can be ∼10–1,000 bps long, with a couple to tens of TF binding sites (Blackwood and Kadonaga, 1998; Yáñez-Cuna et al., 2013).”
Background
- Authors
- Blackwood, E. M., & Kadonaga, J. T.
- Affiliations
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kadonaga, James T.
- ORCID
- Kadonaga, James T.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1998-07-03
- Volume
- 281
- Issue
- 5373
- Pages
- 60-63
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1969770714
- Cited by
- 836
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 33
- FWCI
- 2.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM46995, R01GM041249, GM41249, R01GM046995)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Chromatin Remodeling and Cancer
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Keywords
- enhancers, RNA polymerase II, transcriptional regulation, DNA-binding proteins, sequence motifs, eukaryotic gene expression
- MeSH terms
- Animals, DNA-Binding Proteins, Enhancer Elements, Genetic, Humans, Models, Genetic, Promoter Regions, Genetic, RNA Polymerase II, Transcription, Genetic, Transcriptional Activation, Locus Control Region
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