Decoding the grammar of gene regulation

Animal genomes harbour thousands of genes. Within the genome, DNA sequences called ‘enhancers’ activate gene expression in a tissue-specific manner. The lab of Alexander Stark at the IMP has made it their mission to investigate the ‘grammar rules’ that link an enhancer’s sequence and its activity. In a study now published in the journal Genome Research, they show that enhancer activity is encoded through a combination of their sequence motifs’ identity and context.