Super-enhancers include classical enhancers and facilitators to fully activate gene expression.

ABSTRACT: Super-enhancers are compound regulatory elements that control expression of key cell identity genes. They recruit high levels of tissue-specific transcription factors and co-activators such as the Mediator complex and contact target gene promoters with high frequency. Most super-enhancers contain multiple constituent regulatory elements, but it is unclear whether these elements have distinct roles in activating target gene expression. Here, by rebuilding the endogenous multipartite α-globin super-enhancer, we show that it contains bioinformatically equivalent but functionally distinct element types: classical enhancers and facilitator elements. Facilitators have no intrinsic enhancer activity, yet in their absence, classical enhancers are unable to fully upregulate their target genes. With

SUBMITTER: Blayney JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10858684 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature