What is the function of enhancers in gene regulation?

What is the function of enhancers in gene regulation?

• A. They initiate transcription on their own
• B. They increase transcription by bound activators
• C. They recruit ribosomes to mRNA
• D. They degrade mRNA

Answer: (B)

Enhancers are regulatory DNA elements that boost transcription when bound by transcriptional activators. They don’t start transcription by themselves—the promoter and RNA polymerase II do that. Instead, activator-bound enhancers recruit coactivators and the transcription machinery, often by looping the DNA so the enhancer comes into contact with the promoter. This helps open chromatin and stabilize initiation, increasing the rate of transcription. They also aren’t involved in translation or mRNA degradation. Ribosomes are recruited during translation, and mRNA degradation is a post-transcriptional process, not controlled by enhancer activity. Enhancers can act from a distance and in different orientations, which is part of why they’re so versatile in regulating gene expression.

Enhancers are regulatory DNA elements that boost transcription when bound by transcriptional activators. They don’t start transcription by themselves—the promoter and RNA polymerase II do that. Instead, activator-bound enhancers recruit coactivators and the transcription machinery, often by looping the DNA so the enhancer comes into contact with the promoter. This helps open chromatin and stabilize initiation, increasing the rate of transcription.

They also aren’t involved in translation or mRNA degradation. Ribosomes are recruited during translation, and mRNA degradation is a post-transcriptional process, not controlled by enhancer activity. Enhancers can act from a distance and in different orientations, which is part of why they’re so versatile in regulating gene expression.