In silico promoters: modelling of cis-regulatory context facilitates target prediction

Elucidation of gene regulatory complexity holds much promise towards aiding therapeutic interventions in medical research. It has become progressively more evident that the characterization of highly conserved regulatory modules within promoters may assist in the elucidation of distinct cis-motif and trans-element regulatory interactions, shared in response to stimulus-evoked pathological changes. With special emphasis on the promoter, accurate analyses of cis-motif architecture combined with integrative in silico modelling might serve as a more refined approach for prediction and study of regulatory targets and major regulators governing transcriptional control. In this review, we have highlighted key examples and recent advances implementing in silico promoter models that could serve as essential contributions for future research in molecular medicine.