Enhancer-promoter communication in Drosophila developmental gene transcription

Abstract

Enhancers play an essential role in gene regulation by receiving cues from transcription factors and relaying these signals to modulate transcription from target promoters. Enhancer-promoter communications occur across large linear distances of the genome and with high specificity. The molecular mechanisms that underlie enhancer-mediated control of transcription remain unresolved. In this review, we focus on research in Drosophila uncovering the molecular mechanisms governing enhancer-promoter communication and discuss the current understanding of developmental gene regulation. The functions of protein acetylation, pausing of RNA polymerase II, transcriptional bursting, and the formation of nuclear hubs in the induction of tissue-specific programs of transcription during zygotic genome activation are considered.