Moderna Therapeutics Inc.; Cambridge, MA USA.
Laboratory of Muscle Stem Cells and Gene Regulation; National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases; National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD USA.
RNA Biol. 2014;11(2):106-10. doi: 10.4161/rna.27950. Epub 2014 Feb 7.
Following reports by ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE; GENCODE) Consortium and others, it is now fairly evident that the majority (70-80%) of the mammalian genome has the potential to be transcribed into non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Critical to our understanding of genetic processes is the mechanism by which ncRNAs exert their roles. Accordingly, ncRNAs are shown to regulate the expression of protein-coding loci (i.e., genes) at the transcriptional as well as post-transcriptional stages. We recently reported on a widespread transcription at the DNA enhancer elements in myogenic cells. In our study, we found certain enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) regulate chromatin accessibility of the transcriptional machinery at loci encoding master regulators of myogenesis (i.e., MyoD/MyoG), thus suggesting their significance and site-specific impact in cellular programming. Here, we examine recent discoveries pertinent to the proposed role(s) of eRNAs in regulating gene expression. We will highlight consistencies, discuss confounding observations, and consider a lack of critical information in a way to prioritize future objectives.
在 ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements（ENCODE；GENCODE）联盟和其他机构的报告之后，现在相当明显的是，哺乳动物基因组的大部分（70-80%）具有转录为非蛋白编码 RNA（ncRNA）的潜力。ncRNA 发挥作用的机制是我们理解遗传过程的关键。因此，ncRNA 被证明可以在转录和转录后阶段调节蛋白编码基因座（即基因）的表达。我们最近报道了在成肌细胞中的 DNA 增强子元件中广泛的转录。在我们的研究中，我们发现某些增强子 RNA（eRNA）调节编码成肌细胞主调控因子（即 MyoD/MyoG）的基因座的转录机制的染色质可及性，因此表明它们在细胞编程中的重要性和特定位置的影响。在这里，我们检查了与 eRNA 在调节基因表达中的拟议作用相关的最新发现。我们将强调一致性，讨论令人困惑的观察结果，并考虑缺乏关键信息，以便确定未来的目标。
