Using Genome Engineering to Understand how Cells Control Gene Expression

Despite advances in the understanding of promoter structure and function, the contribution of the vast majority of base pairs to promoter architecture is currently unknown. We have improved existing in vivo genome editing methods in order to investigate how cells control gene expression at a base-pair level. We have been able to greatly expand current knowledge of how the canonical yeast GAL1 promoter controls the expression of the GAL1 gene. Our discoveries of new and unpredicted regulatory elements in this well-characterized promoter imply that eukaryotic promoter structure may be considerably more complex than previously thought.