Computational Modeling of Mammalian Promoters

Abstract

Gene promoters are important cis-regulatory elements that encompass the Transcriptional Start Site (TSS) and their recognition by RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) is the prerequisite for transcriptional initiation - the first regulation step of gene expression. Understanding the structure and function of promoters is absolutely crucial for understanding gene regulation. Due to its complexity, computational modeling of mammalian gene promoter has been one of the most difficult problems in computational genomics. In the advent of deep sequencing technology, more comprehensive and higher resolution diverse large-scale genetic and epigenetic data have been fueling the development of new predictive models. In this talk, I will review our current understanding of promoter architecture and transcription regulation, summarize recent advances in computational models and outline new challenges.