Genomics of regulatory elements: A special focus on the hoxA gene Cluster and experimental techniques.

Abstract

Introduction: The regulation of gene expression plays a pivotal role in maintaining proper biological functions as well as creating cell diversity. many regulatory elements are cis-acting and act over thousands of base pairs to affect the expression of their target gene. The development of novel techniques has provided a wealth of information into spatial chromatin organization, with the potential to unravel the mechanism of relatively uncharacterized regulatory elements, such as repressors and insulators. discussion: This review will highlight examples of genomic regulation, such as beta-globin loci and the Hoxa cluster, as well as discuss advantages and disadvantages of the currently employed experimental techniques. moreover, genomic regulation as it pertains to human disease will also be discussed.