Regulatory landscape of enhancer-mediated transcriptional activation

Koji Kawasaki; Takashi Fukaya

doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2024.01.008

Regulatory landscape of enhancer-mediated transcriptional activation

Trends Cell Biol. 2024 Feb 13:S0962-8924(24)00020-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2024.01.008. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Koji Kawasaki¹, Takashi Fukaya²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
² Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan; Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan. Electronic address: tfukaya@iqb.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

PMID: 38355349
DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2024.01.008

Abstract

Enhancers are noncoding regulatory elements that instruct spatial and temporal specificity of gene transcription in response to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic signals during development. Although it has long been postulated that enhancers physically interact with target promoters through the formation of stable loops, recent studies have changed this static view: sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) and coactivators are dynamically recruited to enhancers and assemble so-called transcription hubs. Dynamic assembly of transcription hubs appears to serve as a key scaffold to integrate regulatory information encoded by surrounding genome and biophysical properties of transcription machineries. In this review, we outline emerging new models of transcriptional regulation by enhancers and discuss future perspectives.

Keywords: enhancers; enhancer–promoter communication; transcription; transcription hub.

Publication types

Review