Mike Levine (UC Berkeley) Part 1: Transcriptional Precision: Enhancers

www.ibiology.org/development-...
Levine discusses the important role of precisely regulating gene expression during animal development. The Drosophila embryo provides a model system because during early embryogenesis a syncytium with about 6000 synchronously dividing nuclei is formed before membranes are laid down to separate the nuclei and areas of regulated gene expression are created. These regions of specific gene expression ultimately determine the body plan of the organism.
In Part 1 of his lecture, Levine emphasizes the importance of enhancers in regulating localized gene expression. Enhancers are elements located up or downstream from the transcription start site of a gene and they bind activators and repressors of gene expression. By integrating the effect of activators and repressors, enhancers produce sharp on/off boundaries of gene expression.

[@shubhamkapil8994]

You are my ideal sir

[@thefenerbahcesk4156]

So do all 7 genes become expressed by the same core promoter (eve) ?

[@thefenerbahcesk4156]

I understand the concept of enhancers, I think, but do you have any videos explaining the gene expression when there's insulators?

[@luialan05]

In regard to the seven segments, you are only looking at one gene being expressed (that is, the eve gene). The segmentation is generated because there is a transcription factor gradient across the embryo. The available transcription factors will therefore vary across the embryo. The point here is that there are 5 enhancer regions, each being acted upon the availbe transcription factors to either induce or inhibit the expression of eve. The end product is 7 incredibly well discrete segments of eve expression.

[@ajmalaika1287]

"Forgot attribution but not our data" made me laugh