Whether during the development of animals or the physiological processes that accompany their lives, many genes are switched on and off in a cell-type-specific manner, in space and time, following either an intrinsic program or instructions from outside the cells in question. How is this possible? What are the molecular switches involved, and how do they work?
Much of this precise control of gene expression is provided by DNA sequences located either close to, or long distances from, the target genes. These sequences, known as enhancers, are able to integrate information, usually from nuclear proteins (transcription factors) that bind them, and respond to these signals by interacting with the function of the target genes.
This year's lecture will focus on these enhancer sequences, from their discovery in 1983 to their widespread study today, not only in the context of gene expression during embryonic development, but also with regard to the increasing number of pathologies associated with genetic variants involving these particular sequences. The lecture will also discuss the structure of these enhancers, the ways in which they function and the methodologies used to study them.
Due to the particular circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, this lecture has been given in the form of webinars (by videoconference).