DNase-seq: A High-Resolution Technique for Mapping Active Gene Regulatory Elements across the Genome from Mammalian Cells

INTRODUCTION Identification of active gene regulatory elements is a key to understanding transcriptional control governing biological processes such as cell-type specificity, differentiation, development, proliferation, and response to the environment. Mapping DNase I hypersensitive (HS) sites has historically been a valuable tool for identifying all different types of regulatory elements, including promoters, enhancers, silencers, insulators, and locus control regions. This method utilizes DNase I to selectively digest nucleosome-depleted DNA (presumably by transcription factors), whereas DNA regions tightly wrapped in nucleosome and higher-order structures are more resistant. The traditional low-throughput…