Lingering Questions about Enhancer RNA and Enhancer Transcription-Coupled Genomic Instability

Abstract

Intergenic and intragenic enhancers found inside topologically associated regulatory domains (TADs) express noncoding RNAs, known as enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). Recent studies have indicated these eRNAs play a role in gene regulatory networks by controlling promoter and enhancer interactions and topology of higher-order chromatin structure. Misregulation of enhancer and promoter associated noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) could stabilize deleterious secondary DNA structures, noncoding RNA associated DNA/RNA hybrid formation, and promote collisions of transcription complexes with replisomes. It is revealing that many chromosomal aberrations, some associated with malignancies, are present inside enhancer and/or promoter sequences. Here, we expand on current concepts to discuss enhancer RNAs and enhancer transcription, and how enhancer transcription influences genomic organization and integrity.

Keywords: RNA exosome; bidirectional transcription; enhancer RNA; enhancer transcription; long noncoding RNA.