Long-range repression in the Drosophila embryo.
Transcriptional repressors can be characterized by their range of action on promoters and enhancers. Short-range repressors interact over distances of 50-150 bp to inhibit, or quench, either upstream activators or the basal transcription complex. In contrast, long-range repressors act over several kilobases to silence basal promoters. We describe recent progress in characterizing the functional properties of one such long-range element in the Drosophila embryo and discuss the contrasting types of gene regulation that are made possible by short- and long-range repressors.
Cai
H N
HN
Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0347, USA.
Arnosti
D N
DN
Levine
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic