Final answer:
Spleen cells express specific genes through interactions between enhancers, silencers, promoters, regulatory proteins, and RNA polymerase to regulate gene expression.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cells in the spleen know how to express spleen genes through a complex network of regulatory mechanisms. Specific regulatory proteins, such as transcription factors, bind to enhancers and promoters near the genes. Enhancers serve as binding sites to increase the efficiency of transcription, even from a distance by looping the DNA so they can interact with the promoter. The promoter is where RNA polymerase starts the transcription of DNA to mRNA. Silencers can also bind to DNA to repress transcription. Both enhancers and silencers respond to internal and external signals to regulate the expression of genes. The correct unfolding of chromatin allows these proteins to access the DNA, enabling the regulation of gene expression necessary for the spleen cells' function.