Barak Cohen: Massively Parallel Studies of Enhancer Function

Event details Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026 Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Location: 125 Li Ka Shing Center Type: Lecture / Workshop About this event Informal Seminar: Enhancers are non-coding DNA sequences that regulate gene expression by potentiating gene promoters. While it is well accepted that enhancers function by recruiting sequence-specific transcription factors, enhancers have several interesting properties that remain difficult to explain with our current working models. One interesting property of enhancers is their ability to function over long distances in the genome. We are working to address whether enhancers that activate their cognate promoters over long genomic distances have distinct sequence features compared to those that work over shorter ranges. Another property of enhancers is that the collective action of the transcription factors that occupy an enhancer can be more than the sum of effects of each individual transcription factor. We are trying to understand why the same transcription factors might work synergistically at some enhancers but additively at others. Our general approach has been to develop methods that probe these phenomena at scale using massively parallel assays. The statistical power in the resulting data sets often, but not always, reveal general features of enhancers that underlie their activities in the genome. This seminar is partially sponsored by NIH Division(s): Division of Genetics, Genomics & Development Official event details: https://events.berkeley.edu/mcb/event/324681-barak-cohen-massively-parallel-studies-of-enhancer