Harrison, L.J. and Bose, D. orcid.org/0000-0002-0276-6486 (2022) Enhancer RNAs step forward: new insights into enhancer function. Development, 149 (16). dev200398. ISSN 0950-1991
Abstract
Enhancers confer precise spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental stimuli. Over the last decade, the transcription of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) – nascent RNAs transcribed from active enhancers – has emerged as a key factor regulating enhancer activity. eRNAs are relatively short-lived RNA species that are transcribed at very high rates but also quickly degraded. Nevertheless, eRNAs are deeply intertwined within enhancer regulatory networks and are implicated in a number of transcriptional control mechanisms. Enhancers show changes in function and sequence over evolutionary time, raising questions about the relationship between enhancer sequences and eRNA function. Moreover, the vast majority of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with human complex diseases map to the non-coding genome, with causal disease variants enriched within enhancers. In this Primer, we survey the diverse roles played by eRNAs in enhancer-dependent gene expression, evaluating different models for eRNA function. We also explore questions surrounding the genetic conservation of enhancers and how this relates to eRNA function and dysfunction.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that the original work is properly attributed. |
Keywords: | eRNA; Non-coding RNA; Enhancers; Chromatin; Transcription; Gene expression |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number WELLCOME TRUST (THE) 213501/Z/18/Z |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Sep 2022 10:13 |
Last Modified: | 10 Feb 2023 14:14 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Company of Biologists |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1242/dev.200398 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190652 |