In all mammals, the cellular operation responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, specifically of all the physiological balances ensuring the vital functions of an organism, is dictated by the reading of information carefully preserved in the genetic heritage or DNA. The expression of a gene that will code for one or more proteins of interest is therefore a strategic step, controlled by the presence on this DNA of regulatory sequences, which in the event of malfunction, can cause the occurrence of serious genetic pathologies, such as inflammation or auto-immune diseases.
Listed in two distinct families according to their locations near or far from the genes that they regulate, researchers speak of promoters or enhancers, respectively. These sequences are scrutinized by the scientific community in an attempt to arrive at a better understanding of the complexity of their modes of action. The latest work from a research team within the TAGC laboratory (Theories and Approaches to Genomic Complexity, Inserm/AMU), led by Dr. Spicuglia and published in the journal Nature Communications have recently shed new light on the role of a particular family of promoters called Epromoter that are involved in gene regulation, but this time, without particular location criteria.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860002. 
