What makes genes burst

Abstract

Genes burst. Instead of being monotonously transcribed by a steady stream of RNA polymerases, active genes undergo transient and random pulses of transcription that are referred to as gene bursting. This property is ubiquitous and evolutionarily conserved from bacteria to humans, and reflects the inherent stochastic nature of most biological processes. The frequency and duration of gene busting events varies greatly between genes and is now recognized to be controlled by an intricate interplay between transcription factors, chromatin features, and the transcription machinery. Recent findings also point to proximal regulation of bursting by epigenetic chromatin states, a novel role of non-histone modifications, and of distal control of bursting patterns by enhancers. Uncovering the regulatory mechanisms of gene bursting sheds light on how cells maintain a diverse range of gene-specific expression by modulating the different kinetic parameters of bursting.

Keywords: RNA polymerases; chromatin; epigenetic modifications; gene bursting; non-histone post-translational modifications.