USA Awarded Grant To Study DNA

MOBILE, Ala. — The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of South Alabama (USA) in Mobile a $427,000 grant to better understand enhancer DNA sequences and their role in coordinating gene expression, USA announced. Promoters and enhancers are both noncoding sequences of DNA that serve as gene-regulatory elements. Promoters initiate gene transcription, which is the first step in gene expression, the “turning on” of a gene. Enhancers increase the level or speed up the rate of transcription. Understanding what drives this interaction between promoters and enhancers can significantly improve the ability to treat diseases caused by gene mutations or improve crop resistance to adverse environmental conditions via gene modulation, Dr. Glen Borchert, associate professor of pharmacology at the USA Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, said.