Enhancer Evolution across 20 Mammalian Species

The mammalian radiation has corresponded with rapid changes in noncoding regions of the genome, but we lack a comprehensive understanding of regulatory evolution in mammals. Here, we track the evolution of promoters and enhancers active in liver across 20 mammalian species from six diverse orders by profiling genomic enrichment of H3K27 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation. We report that rapid evolution of enhancers is a universal feature of mammalian genomes. Most of the recently evolved enhancers arise from ancestral DNA exaptation, rather than lineage-specific expansions of repeat elements. In contrast, almost all liver promoters are partially or fully conserved across these species. Our data further reveal…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: WT098051, 0744979
• WT
  Wellcome Trust

  Awards: WT095908, WT098051
• EM
  European Molecular Biology Laboratory
• NC
  North Carolina Central University
• CR
  Cancer Research UK

  Award: WT098051
• DF
  Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Government
• CU
  Cardiff University
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: P40 OD010965, MH060233, R37 MH060233, OD010965
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Award: U117588498
• CR
  Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge