Open AccessEmbryonic Stem Cells: A Perfect Tool for Studying Mammalian Transcriptional Enhancers
Author(s) -
Sridhar Rao
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of stem cell research and therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2157-7633
DOI - 10.4172/2157-7633.s10-007
Subject(s) - enhancer , biology , epigenetics , embryonic stem cell , computational biology , transcriptional regulation , regulation of gene expression , gene , enhancer rnas , function (biology) , mechanism (biology) , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , philosophy , epistemology
Transcriptional enhancers are DNA elements capable of regulating gene expression in- cis over great distances. With the recent availability of genomic approaches to define epigenetic marks and RNA levels, these previously difficult to study elements are now being extensively examined for their critical role in lineage-specific transcriptional regulation. This review sets out to highlight the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in the study of enhancers, emphasizing that ESC have become an ideal model system for questions regarding mammalian transcriptional regulation. This review highlights the epigenetic "signature" of enhancers, their mechanism of action, and the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) on enhancer function. We briefly review insulators, a sub-type of enhancers, and a novel model system for studying enhancer function in vivo. We conclude with some ongoing questions within the field.