Abstract
Super-enhancers are defined as cluster of enhancers with dense TF binding, which can activate proximal cell-identity gene expression. Here we review the identification, functional significance of super-enhancers, and their relationships with cancer. With the current intense interests in super-enhancers, more super-enhancers will be defined and studied in different cell types and tissues and in different developmental and biological contexts to reveal molecular mechanisms of their functions.
Highlights
Super-enhancer is a large cluster of enhancers
Some super-enhancer contains only one constituent enhancer, which means that super-enhancers are not necessarily clusters of enhancers
What is the role of each individual enhancer within super-enhancer, and how do they cooperate together to regulate gene expression are still questions to be answered
Summary
Super-enhancer was first proposed as a large genomic domain constitute of cluster of enhancers occupied by master transcription factors at genes that control pluripotent states of mouse ESC (mESC) (Whyte et al, 2013). Master transcription factors for most cells are not known, alternatively, one can use marks that routinely used to identify typical enhancers, such as H3K27ac, H3K4me, p300 and DNase hypersensitivity, to define super-enhancers. Figure shows an example of super enhancers, a super-enhancer over the Sox gene, defined with histone mark H3K27ac in different mouse tissues If these alternative ways are used to define super-enhancer and master regulator might be inferred in many different cell types based on TF binding profiles or motifs. Disrupting the structure of such super-enhancers or inhibiting the cofactors involved in the formation of super-enhancers provides new routes for cancer therapy
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