New technique for identifying gene-enhancers
Monday, March 24, 2014 - 21:00
in Biology & Nature
With the new SIF-seq technique, mouse embryonic stem cells can be used to identify human embryonic stem cell enhancers even when the human enhancers are not present in the mouse. An international team led by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed a new technique for identifying gene enhancers - sequences of DNA that act to amplify the expression of a specific gene – in the genomes of humans and other mammals. Called SIF-seq, for site-specific integration fluorescence-activated cell sorting followed by sequencing, this new technique complements existing genomic tools, such as ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing), and offers some additional benefits.