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Updated: Oct 18, 2025

A New Application of the Electrical Penetration Graph EPG for Acquiring and Measuring Electrical Signals in Phloem Sieve Elements
Published on: July 2, 2015
Insulators in Plants: Progress and Open Questions
Amina Kurbidaeva1, Michael Purugganan1
1Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Abstract:
The genomes of higher eukaryotes are partitioned into topologically associated domains or TADs, and insulators (also known as boundary elements) are the key elements responsible for their formation and maintenance. Insulators were first identified and extensively studied in Drosophila as well as mammalian genomes, and have also been described in yeast and plants. In addition, many insulator proteins are known in Drosophila, and some have been investigated in mammals. However, much less is known about this important class of non-coding DNA elements in plant genomes. In this review, we take a detailed look at known plant insulators across different species and provide an overview of potential determinants of plant insulator functions, including cis-elements and boundary proteins. We also discuss methods previously used in attempts to identify plant insulators, provide a perspective on their importance for research and biotechnology, and discuss areas of potential future research.
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