Mapping of the regulatory sequence within the yellow gene enhancers of D. melanogaster, required for the long-distance enhancer–promoter interaction

One of the features of transcriptional regulation in higher eukaryotes is the ability of enhancers to activate gene transcription, being at a distance, sometimes reaching several hundred kilobases away from the promoter. For several genes, it was demonstrated that cis-regulatory DNA sequences located near the core promoter sequences play an important role in the enhancer–promoter communication. In this study, we first showed that the sequence from–890 to–1620 bp relative to the yellow transcription start site, called a communicator, is required for the long-distance activation of the yellow promoter by the body and wing enhancers, as well as for their bypass of the Su(Hw)-dependent insulation. The communicator is a functional partner of a previously described regulatory element located between–69 and–100 bp in the upstream promoter region of the yellow gene. The results of this study demonstrate that specific regulatory elements in the promoter and enhancer regions may be involved in providing long-distance interactions between them.