Streamlined scanning for enhancer elements in Drosophila melanogaster

Enhancer elements in most eukaryotic organisms are often positioned at a great distance away from the transcription start site of the gene they regulate. Complex three-dimensional chromatin organization and insulators usually guide and limit the range of an enhancer's regulatory activity to a specific genetic locus. Rigorous testing of an entire genomic locus is often required in order to uncover the complete set of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) regulating a gene, especially those with complex and dynamic expression patterns. Here we report a fast and efficient method for enhancer element identification by scanning large genomic regions using transgenic reporter genes.