Molecular Basis of the Function of Transcriptional Enhancers

Abstract

Transcriptional enhancers are major genomic elements that control gene activity in eukaryotes. Recent studies provided deeper insight into the temporal and spatial organization of transcription in the nucleus, the role of non-coding RNAs in the process, and the epigenetic control of gene expression. Thus, multiple molecular details of enhancer functioning were revealed. Here, we describe the recent data and models of molecular organization of enhancer-driven transcription.

Keywords

• enhancer
• promoter
• chromatin
• transcriptional bursting
• transcription factories
• enhancer RNA