Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE45822: Functional Importance of eRNAs for Estrogen-dependent Gene Transcriptional Activation

Bulk RNA sequencing

The functional importance of gene enhancers in regulated gene expression is well established. In addition to widespread transcription of long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts in mammalian cells, bidirectional ncRNAs referred to as eRNAs are present on enhancers. However, it has remained unclear whether these eRNAs are functional, or merely a reflection of enhancer activation. Here, we report that 17 -estradiol (E2)-bound estrogen receptor alpha (ER) on enhancers causes a global increase in eRNA transcription on enhancers adjacent to E2 upregulated coding genes. These induced eRNAs, as functional transcripts, appear to exert important roles for the observed ligand-dependent induction of target coding genes, causing an increased strength of specific enhancer:promoter looping initiated by ER binding. Cohesin, present on many ER-regulated enhancers even prior to ligand treatment, apparently contributes to E2-dependent gene activation by stabilizing E2/ER/eRNA-induced enhancer:promoter looping. Our data indicate that eRNAs are likely to exert important functions in many regulated programs of gene transcription. SOURCE: Qi Ma (q1ma@ucsd.edu) - UCSD