Transcribed enhancers lead waves of coordinated transcription in transitioning mammalian cells

Although it is generally accepted that cellular differentiation requires changes to transcriptional networks, dynamic regulation of promoters and enhancers at specific sets of genes has not been previously studied en masse. Exploiting the fact that active promoters and enhancers are transcribed, we simultaneously measured their activity in 19 human and 14 mouse time courses covering a wide range of cell types and biological stimuli. Enhancer RNAs, then messenger RNAs encoding transcription factors, dominated the earliest responses. Binding sites for key lineage transcription factors were simultaneously overrepresented in enhancers and promoters active in each cellular system. Our data support a highly…

• HH
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• MO
  Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
• UO
  University of Queensland
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: CA104106, GM08759, R01 GM099705, CA075115, CA075115 and CA104106, T32 GM08759, GM099705
• BA
  Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

  Awards: BBS/E/D/20211550, BBS/E/D/20251969, BB/H008098/1, BBS/E/D/20211551
• CC
  Cancer Council NSW
• R
  RIKEN