Recent advances in epigenetic research have provided tremendous insight into the complex regulation of gene transcription through a network of transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and posttranslational modifications on histones. It is evident that there are several layers of regulation in gene transcription involving, but not limited to, interactions between the promoter and the enhancer of a gene. A promoter is positioned near and always upstream of the gene it controls and serves as a binding site for transcription factors and RNA polymerase. In contrast, enhancers can be located far from the gene they regulate, either up or downstream or sometimes even within introns. Although there are well-established chromatin and histone modifications to define promoters and enhancers and how their activity might change upon genetic/epigenetic perturbations, a direct connection between the activity of the promoter and the enhancer of a given gene is often missing.
While efforts are being made to map enhancers and their target genes through experimental techniques and computational methods, the task is far from complete. Technologies like Chromatin Conformation Capture (3C) and its derivatives (e.g., Hi-C) provide insights into long-range interactions. However, interpreting these data and assigning enhancers to specific genes requires sophisticated analyses. The regulatory landscape of the human genome is intricate, and the relationship between enhancers and genes is not one-to-one. Assigning specific enhancers to individual genes requires a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic and context-dependent nature of gene regulation.
The current research topic aims to provide a collection of articles describing novel technologies or novel uses of existing technologies to define a direct link between enhancers and promoters and a framework for a promoter-enhancer atlas.
• Research papers describing the use of existing bioinformatics tools to find a direct link between the promoters and the enhancers of genes.
• Research papers reporting novel bioinformatics tools to find a direct link between the promoters and the enhancers of genes.
• Research papers reporting novel genome tagging/mapping/sequencing methodologies to find a direct link between the promoters and enhancers of genes
Keywords:
multi-omics, gene regulation, enhancers, promoters, genome tagging, sequencing, bioinformatics, tools
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Recent advances in epigenetic research have provided tremendous insight into the complex regulation of gene transcription through a network of transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and posttranslational modifications on histones. It is evident that there are several layers of regulation in gene transcription involving, but not limited to, interactions between the promoter and the enhancer of a gene. A promoter is positioned near and always upstream of the gene it controls and serves as a binding site for transcription factors and RNA polymerase. In contrast, enhancers can be located far from the gene they regulate, either up or downstream or sometimes even within introns. Although there are well-established chromatin and histone modifications to define promoters and enhancers and how their activity might change upon genetic/epigenetic perturbations, a direct connection between the activity of the promoter and the enhancer of a given gene is often missing.
While efforts are being made to map enhancers and their target genes through experimental techniques and computational methods, the task is far from complete. Technologies like Chromatin Conformation Capture (3C) and its derivatives (e.g., Hi-C) provide insights into long-range interactions. However, interpreting these data and assigning enhancers to specific genes requires sophisticated analyses. The regulatory landscape of the human genome is intricate, and the relationship between enhancers and genes is not one-to-one. Assigning specific enhancers to individual genes requires a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic and context-dependent nature of gene regulation.
The current research topic aims to provide a collection of articles describing novel technologies or novel uses of existing technologies to define a direct link between enhancers and promoters and a framework for a promoter-enhancer atlas.
• Research papers describing the use of existing bioinformatics tools to find a direct link between the promoters and the enhancers of genes.
• Research papers reporting novel bioinformatics tools to find a direct link between the promoters and the enhancers of genes.
• Research papers reporting novel genome tagging/mapping/sequencing methodologies to find a direct link between the promoters and enhancers of genes
Keywords:
multi-omics, gene regulation, enhancers, promoters, genome tagging, sequencing, bioinformatics, tools
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.