Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2025

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells
Published on: February 21, 2018
Is Enhancer Function Driven by Protein-Protein Interactions? From Bacteria to Leukemia
Nicholas T Crump1, Thomas A Milne2
1Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
The precise regulation of the transcription of genes is essential for normal development and for the maintenance of life. Aberrant gene expression changes drive many human diseases. Despite this, we still do not completely understand how precise gene regulation is controlled in living systems. Enhancers are key regulatory elements that enable cells to specifically activate genes in response to environmental cues, or in a stage or tissue-specific manner. Any model of enhancer activity needs to answer two main questions: (1) how enhancers are able to identify and act on specific genes and (2) how enhancers influence transcription. To address these points, we first outline some of the basic principles that can be established from simpler prokaryotic systems, then discuss recent work on aberrant enhancer activity in leukemia. We argue that highly specific protein-protein interactions are a key driver of enhancer-promoter proximity, allowing enhancer-bound factors to directly act on RNA polymerase and activate transcription.
Related Concept Videos
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The...
Protein Networks
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
Bacterial Signaling
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

