Enhancer (genetics)
DNA sequence that binds activators to increase the likelihood of gene transcription / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In genetics, an enhancer is a short (50–1500 bp) region of DNA that can be bound by proteins (activators) to increase the likelihood that transcription of a particular gene will occur.[1][2] These proteins are usually referred to as transcription factors. Enhancers are cis-acting. They can be located up to 1 Mbp (1,000,000 bp) away from the gene, upstream or downstream from the start site.[2][3] There are hundreds of thousands of enhancers in the human genome.[2] They are found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.[4]
The first discovery of a eukaryotic enhancer was in the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene in 1983.[5][6][7] This enhancer, located in the large intron, provided an explanation for the transcriptional activation of rearranged Vh gene promoters while unrearranged Vh promoters remained inactive.[8] Lately, enhancers have been shown to be involved in certain medical conditions, for example, myelosuppression.[9] Since 2022, scientists have used artificial intelligence to design synthetic enhancers and applied them in animal systems, first in a cell line,[10] and one year later also in vivo.[11][12]