Final answer:
The binding of a transcription factor to an enhancer region results in the activation of transcription. Enhancers can positively regulate transcription from a distance by facilitating the interaction between activators and the RNA polymerase, and this process is essential for the controlled expression of genes.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a transcription factor binds to an enhancer region, it results in the activation of transcription. Enhancer regions help to increase or enhance transcription. They are not directly linked to the process of translation or the repression of gene expression. In fact, enhancers can act on genes that are quite distant from them within the chromosome. Through a DNA bending protein, the enhancers enable interaction between the activators, the transcription factors at the promoter, and the RNA polymerase, hence facilitating the initiation of transcription and influencing the level of gene expression.
Comparing enhancers with promoters, enhancers are elements that can positively regulate gene transcription from a distance, whereas promoters are sequences immediately upstream of the gene and are essential for the initiation of transcription. The binding site for transcription factors can either be an enhancer or a promoter, and it influences gene expression by facilitating or hindering the binding of RNA polymerase to the gene's promoter.