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In order to determine the control elements that regulated the expression of mPGES-1 gene, the researchers hypothesized that the gene was controlled by three possible control elements in the enhancer region.

He made a DNA construct with all the possible control elements (an intact enhancer region) that served as the control treatment. He also made three DNA constructs, each with one possible control element deleted, to check each possible control element’s effect on gene expression.

All the DNA constructs were introduced into the human cell culture, and the amount of reporter mRNA produced was measured after 48 hours. The relative level of reporter mRNA produced from each construct was then compared to determine the effect of deletion of possible control elements on the gene expression.

The results indicate that the amount of reporter mRNA produced in each DNA construct was different, and it also differed from the level produced by the intact enhancer DNA construct.

This means that the deletion of possible control elements from the DNA constructs affected the expression of genes. As a result, all three possible control elements appear to be the gene’s actual control elements.