Quantitative genome-wide enhancer activity maps for five Drosophila species show functional enhancer conservation and turnover during cis-regulatory evolution

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic differences between closely related species are thought to arise primarily from changes in gene expression due to mutations in cis-regulatory sequences (enhancers). However, it has remained unclear, how frequently mutations alter enhancer activity or create functional enhancers de novo. Here, we use STARR-seq, a recently developed quantitative enhancer assay, to determine genome-wide enhancer activity profiles for five Drosophila species in the constant trans-regulatory environment of D. melanogaster S2 cells. We find that the function of a large fraction of D. melanogaster enhancers is conserved in their orthologous sequences due to selection and stabilizing turnover of transcription factor motifs. Moreover, hundreds of enhancers have been gained since the D. melanogaster M-bM-

ORGANISM(S): Drosophila willistoni

SUBMITTER: Daniel Gerlach 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-48251 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress