Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart
Precise control of gene expression is crucial to ensure proper development and biological functioning of an organism. Enhancers are non-coding DNA elements which play an essential role in regulating gene expression. They contain specific sequence motifs serving as binding sites for transcription fac...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/3914 |
| _version_ | 1797538144963264512 |
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| author | Costantino Parisi Shikha Vashisht Cecilia Lanny Winata |
| author_facet | Costantino Parisi Shikha Vashisht Cecilia Lanny Winata |
| author_sort | Costantino Parisi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Precise control of gene expression is crucial to ensure proper development and biological functioning of an organism. Enhancers are non-coding DNA elements which play an essential role in regulating gene expression. They contain specific sequence motifs serving as binding sites for transcription factors which interact with the basal transcription machinery at their target genes. Heart development is regulated by intricate gene regulatory network ensuring precise spatiotemporal gene expression program. Mutations affecting enhancers have been shown to result in devastating forms of congenital heart defect. Therefore, identifying enhancers implicated in heart biology and understanding their mechanism is key to improve diagnosis and therapeutic options. Despite their crucial role, enhancers are poorly studied, mainly due to a lack of reliable way to identify them and determine their function. Nevertheless, recent technological advances have allowed rapid progress in enhancer discovery. Model organisms such as the zebrafish have contributed significant insights into the genetics of heart development through enabling functional analyses of genes and their regulatory elements in vivo. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge on heart enhancers gained through studies in model organisms, discuss various approaches to discover and study their function, and finally suggest methods that could further advance research in this field. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:27:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b37d6475b8e44c8a9dcd631d6370656f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:27:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-b37d6475b8e44c8a9dcd631d6370656f2023-11-21T14:58:18ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672021-04-01228391410.3390/ijms22083914Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the HeartCostantino Parisi0Shikha Vashisht1Cecilia Lanny Winata2International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, PolandInternational Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, PolandInternational Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, PolandPrecise control of gene expression is crucial to ensure proper development and biological functioning of an organism. Enhancers are non-coding DNA elements which play an essential role in regulating gene expression. They contain specific sequence motifs serving as binding sites for transcription factors which interact with the basal transcription machinery at their target genes. Heart development is regulated by intricate gene regulatory network ensuring precise spatiotemporal gene expression program. Mutations affecting enhancers have been shown to result in devastating forms of congenital heart defect. Therefore, identifying enhancers implicated in heart biology and understanding their mechanism is key to improve diagnosis and therapeutic options. Despite their crucial role, enhancers are poorly studied, mainly due to a lack of reliable way to identify them and determine their function. Nevertheless, recent technological advances have allowed rapid progress in enhancer discovery. Model organisms such as the zebrafish have contributed significant insights into the genetics of heart development through enabling functional analyses of genes and their regulatory elements in vivo. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge on heart enhancers gained through studies in model organisms, discuss various approaches to discover and study their function, and finally suggest methods that could further advance research in this field.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/3914enhancersheart developmentheart regenerationtranscription factorsmodel organismzebrafish |
| spellingShingle | Costantino Parisi Shikha Vashisht Cecilia Lanny Winata Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart International Journal of Molecular Sciences enhancers heart development heart regeneration transcription factors model organism zebrafish |
| title | Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart |
| title_full | Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart |
| title_fullStr | Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart |
| title_short | Fish-Ing for Enhancers in the Heart |
| title_sort | fish ing for enhancers in the heart |
| topic | enhancers heart development heart regeneration transcription factors model organism zebrafish |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/3914 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT costantinoparisi fishingforenhancersintheheart AT shikhavashisht fishingforenhancersintheheart AT cecilialannywinata fishingforenhancersintheheart |