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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Promoter Capture Hi-C: High-resolution, Genome-wide Profiling of Promoter Interactions
Published on: June 28, 2018
DNA supercoiling allows enhancer action over a large distance
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 540 East Canfield Avenue, Room 5123, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Abstract:
Enhancers are regulatory DNA elements that can activate their genomic targets over a large distance. The mechanism of enhancer action over large distance is unknown. Activation of the glnAp2 promoter by NtrC-dependent enhancer in Escherichia coli was analyzed by using a purified system supporting multiple-round transcription in vitro. The data suggest that DNA supercoiling is an essential requirement for enhancer action over a large distance (2,500 bp) but not over a short distance (110 bp). DNA supercoiling facilitates functional enhancer-promoter communication over a large distance, probably by bringing the enhancer and promoter into close proximity.
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