The DNA Control Panel: Identifying Conserved Regulatory Elements in Differentially Expressed Genes

Authors

Mahalaxmi Some, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Eimaan Ahmad, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Navi Gill Dhillon, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Publication Date

2026

Keywords

promoter, gene regulation, differentially expressed genes, conserved regulatory elements

Abstract

Plant responses to heat stress involve changes in gene expression, and identifying conserved domains in promoters of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) is essential for understanding regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we analyzed 149 DEGs previously identified from transcriptomic analyses of two rice varieties, Cypress (heat-tolerant) and LaGrue (heat-sensitive), exposed to high night temperature ((HNT; 82.4 ± 1°F or 28 ± 1°C) (Kumar et al. 2022.Nature Scientific Reports DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs1832853/v1). Promoter sequences were analyzed using ElemeNT and MEME to identify core promoter motifs, their positions relative to the transcription start site (TSS), and statistical significance. Functional annotation revealed motif enrichment differences between up- and down-regulated genes, suggesting regulatory patterns underlying heat stress responses in rice.

This Research has been presented

Florida Undergraduate Research Conference, Jacksonville, FL March 2026

Recommended Citation

Some, Mahalaxmi; Ahmad, Eimaan; and Gill Dhillon, Navi, "The DNA Control Panel: Identifying Conserved Regulatory Elements in Differentially Expressed Genes" (2026). Bioinformatics. 11.
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/bioinformatics/11