Enhancer is a DNA sequence, and mainly acts in cis to regulate gene transcription. Due to the uncertainty in both location and distance between enhancers and their target genes, it is more complex and difficult to study the underlying regulatory mechanism of enhancers. Accumulating evidences indicate that enhancers are closely associated with the occurrence and development of diseases, such as cancer. Therefore, the studies of enhancers in cancer will be helpful to deeply unravel cancer pathogenesis and to promote the development of antitumor drugs. The related research is with great social significance and economic value. Currently, the identification of enhancers is insufficient. The regulatory mechanisms by enhancers during the initiation and progression of cancer and other diseases have not been fully delineated. In this review, we provide an overview of enhancers, super enhancers and their properties, followed by a description of enhancer prediction and identification at the genome-wide level. Finally, we summarize the regulatory roles of enhancers during diseases such as cancer in recent years, thereby providing a reference for the future exploration on enhancer regulatory mechanisms as well as cancer diagnosis and treatment.
增强子是一段具有转录调控功能的DNA序列,主要通过顺式调控方式发挥作用。由于增强子及其调控基因在位置和距离上的不确定性,大大增加了研究增强子作用机制的复杂性和困难性。越来越多的证据表明,增强子与癌症等疾病的发生发展密切相关,因此开展癌症相关增强子的研究,将有助于全面解析癌症发病机制,并推动抗肿瘤药物的高效研发,具有重要的社会意义和经济价值。目前对于增强子的鉴定不充分,增强子在癌症和其他疾病中的发生发展调控机制尚未得到完整的解析。本文主要对增强子和超级增强子及其特性进行介绍,并在全基因组水平上对增强子的预测和鉴定进行了描述,最后总结了近年来增强子在癌症等疾病发生过程中所发挥的调控作用,从而为未来解析增强子调控机制以及癌症的诊断和治疗提供参考。.
Keywords: cancer; enhancers; regulatory mechanisms; super enhancers.