Regulators of Gene Activity in Animals Are Deeply Conserved

Enhancers, short regions of DNA that direct gene expression, of species separated by 700 million years of evolution worked interchangeably, according to a new study.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 5 min read

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model organism, zebrafish, sponge, cell &molecular biology, genetics & genomics, enhancer, transcription, non-coding DNA, gene regulation, evolution

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ABOVE: Researchers used a fluorescing protein to explore cell-specific gene expression patterns in zebrafish containing a sponge-derived enhancer.
DAVID ZHENG | VICTOR CHANG CARDIAC RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The functionality of genetic regulatory elements known as enhancers is widely conserved among species of animals spread across the evolutionary tree. When researchers inserted an enhancer sequence from a sponge into zebrafish and mice, both vertebrates were able to interpret the genetic information and drive cell-specific expression of a developmental gene, even within cell types that a sponge doesn’t have.

The results of the new study, published November 5 in Science, show that, at least in some cases, enhancer function persists across species that last shared a common ancestor as far back as 700 million years ago.

Once bound by proteins, enhancers control where, when, and how genes are regulated, and are largely responsible for cell differentiation during development. “The reason why a muscle cell ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
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Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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