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Updated: Nov 4, 2025

Dissection of Enhancer Function Using Multiplex CRISPR-based Enhancer Interference in Cell Lines
Published on: June 2, 2018
Enhancer release and retargeting activates disease-susceptibility genes
Soohwan Oh1, Jiaofang Shao2, Joydeep Mitra3
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
When a preferred gene promoter is lost, enhancers can switch targets, activating new promoters. This "enhancer release and retargeting" mechanism, influenced by CTCF binding, can activate disease-susceptibility genes.
Area of Science:
- Gene regulation
- Genomics
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Enhancer-promoter interactions are crucial for precise gene transcription.
- Understanding enhancer target selection is vital for understanding health and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of enhancer target switching.
- To explore the role of CTCF and cohesin in enhancer-promoter interactions.
- To identify the implications of enhancer release and retargeting in disease.
Main Methods:
- Genetic deletion and mutation analyses.
- CRISPR interference screening.
- dCas9-mediated CTCF tethering.
- Analysis of cancer mutations and GTEx/GWAS data.
Main Results:
- Functional loss of a preferred promoter releases enhancers to activate alternative promoters ('enhancer release and retargeting').
- CTCF binding at promoters, in a cohesin-dependent manner, dictates enhancer promoter choice.
- Enhancer release and retargeting underlies activation of disease-susceptibility genes in Parkinson's disease and cancer.
Conclusions:
- Enhancer release and retargeting is a significant mechanism in gene regulation.
- CTCF's role in promoter choice is distinct from its role at chromatin boundaries.
- This mechanism provides insights into the genetic basis of various diseases.
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