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Ch. 17 - Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes
Klug - Concepts of Genetics  12th Edition
Klug12th EditionConcepts of Genetics ISBN: 9780135564776Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 17, Problem 19

How do the ENCODE data vastly help determine which enhancers regulate which genes?

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1
Understand that enhancers are DNA sequences that can increase the transcription of specific genes, often acting at a distance from the gene's promoter region.
Recognize that the ENCODE project provides comprehensive data on DNA elements, including chromatin accessibility, transcription factor binding sites, and histone modifications, which are key indicators of active enhancers.
Use ENCODE data to identify enhancer regions by looking for characteristic epigenetic marks such as H3K27ac and DNase I hypersensitivity sites, which suggest regulatory activity.
Analyze chromatin interaction data from ENCODE, such as Hi-C or ChIA-PET, which reveal physical contacts between enhancers and gene promoters, helping to link specific enhancers to their target genes.
Integrate multiple layers of ENCODE data (epigenetic marks, transcription factor binding, chromatin interactions) to build a detailed map of enhancer-gene regulatory relationships, improving the accuracy of predicting which enhancers regulate which genes.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Enhancers and Gene Regulation

Enhancers are DNA sequences that increase the transcription of specific genes, often acting at a distance. They bind transcription factors and interact with promoters to regulate gene expression, playing a crucial role in controlling when and where genes are active.
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ENCODE Project and Functional Genomics Data

The ENCODE project generates comprehensive data on functional elements in the human genome, including enhancers, promoters, and transcription factor binding sites. This data helps identify regulatory regions and their activity patterns across different cell types, providing insights into gene regulation mechanisms.
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Chromatin Interaction and Regulatory Mapping

Techniques like Hi-C and ChIA-PET used by ENCODE reveal physical interactions between enhancers and gene promoters by mapping chromatin loops. These interactions help link specific enhancers to their target genes, clarifying regulatory relationships beyond linear DNA proximity.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Research indicates that promoters may fall into one of two classes: focused or dispersed. How do these classes differ, and which genes tend to be associated with each?

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Textbook Question

Explain the features of the Initiator (Inr) elements, BREs, DPEs, and MTEs of focused promoters.

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Textbook Question

Many transcriptional activators are proteins with a DNA-binding domain (DBD) and an activation domain (AD). Explain how each domain contributes to transcriptional initiation. Would you expect repressors to also have each of these domains?

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Textbook Question

DNA supercoiling, which occurs when coiling tension is generated ahead of the replication fork, is relieved by DNA gyrase. Supercoiling may also be involved in transcription regulation. Researchers discovered that enhancers operating over a long distance (2500 bp) are dependent on DNA supercoiling, while enhancers operating over shorter distances (110 bp) are not so dependent [Liu et al. (2001). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:14,883–14,888]. Using a diagram, suggest a way in which supercoiling may positively influence enhancer activity over long distances.

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Textbook Question

Because the degree of DNA methylation appears to be a relatively reliable genetic marker for some forms of cancer, researchers have explored the possibility of altering DNA methylation as a form of cancer therapy. Initial studies indicate that while hypomethylation suppresses the formation of some tumors, other tumors thrive. Why would one expect different cancers to respond differently to either hypomethylation or hypermethylation therapies?

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Textbook Question

Explain how the following mutations would affect transcription of the yeast GAL1 gene in the presence of galactose.

A deletion within the GAL4 gene that removes the region encoding amino acids 1 to 100.

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