Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of Putative Rhomboid Gene Enhancers in Multiple Drosophila Species

Enhancers are DNA sequences containing multiple transcription factor binding sites, could be present upstream, downstream or within the gene. They are meant to enhance the expression of their target genes. Major features of enhancers are: clusters of transcription factor binding sites, evolutionary conserved non-coding DNA sequence and biochemical marks such as histone modification and chromatin structure. We have used genome-wide approach to identify sequence of the putative enhancer of rhomboid gene in eleven different species of Drosophila viz. melanoagaster, yakuba, ananassae, erecta, grimshawi, mojavensis, persimilis, pseudoobscura, sechellia, virilise and willistoni using genome browser ClusterDraw. Analyses of the cluster formation of dorsal, twist and snail motifs of the rhomboid gene suggested a range of 1 to 15 binding sites among the species. Among the eleven species used in this study for prediction of enhancer element, four have enhancer element at upstream and five have downstream whereas two species have on both side of the rhomboid gene.