Nonlinear control of transcription through enhancer–promoter interactions

. However, how chromosome interactions are actually translated into transcriptional outputs remains unclear. Here, to address this question, we use an assay to position an enhancer at large numbers of densely spaced chromosomal locations relative to a fixed promoter, and measure promoter output and interactions within a genomic region with minimal regulatory and structural complexity. A quantitative analysis of hundreds of cell lines reveals that the transcriptional effect of an enhancer depends on its contact probabilities with the promoter through a nonlinear relationship. Mathematical modelling suggests that nonlinearity might arise from transient enhancer-promoter interactions being translated into slower…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• NF
  Novartis Foundation
• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: 694466, 748091, 759366, 813282, 813327
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

  Awards: 310030_192642, IZCOZ0_189884/31003A_176226, 31003A_176226