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THE BEAUTY PARADE. "We have generated a catalogue of super-enhancers in 86 human cell and tissue types and shown that these are associated with genes encoding cell type-specific transcription factors and other components that play important roles in cell type-specific biology." https://lnkd.in/eTiMHmY View in LinkedIn

MYC, A HIGH PROFILE REGULATORY GENE, "is one of the most referenced molecules in biology; since its isolation in the chicken genome in early 1980s, plenty of literature has covered the many aspects of its function. Despite that, the last decade has witnessed its unanticipated appearance in several cellular mechanisms, demonstrating that we are still far from composing a complete picture of its biological potential." A long way to go still. https://lnkd.in/e8xJvuY View in LinkedIn

KEY GENES. "Recent studies suggest that key genes regulating cell type-specific functions reside in enhancer-dense genomic regions (i.e., super enhancers, stretch enhancers)." https://lnkd.in/eui_mzh View in LinkedIn

TISSUE MASTER GENES. "Some DNA-binding transcription factors, also called ‘master regulators’, have the ability to determine lineage-specific transcriptional programs. For example, MyoD, PPARγ and Runx2 control the gene programs leading to differentiation into skeletal muscle, adipocytes and osteocytes, respectively." https://lnkd.in/ez4iBiB View in LinkedIn

"SUPER ENHANCERS are enhancer-dense regions found near genes that play key roles in determining cellular identity." https://lnkd.in/eBuSbSN View in LinkedIn

DECODING JUNK DNA. "In a paper published in Nature in 2012, ENCODE researchers concluded that 80% of the human genome is functional. Ever since, commentators have argued over what large swaths of non-coding DNA might be doing. Super-enhancers, which can occupy tens of kilobases, suggest a use for at least some of this DNA. In fact, published ENCODE work foreshadowed the super-enhancer discovery." https://lnkd.in/ezRUFD5 View in LinkedIn

SYROS PHARMACEUTICALS: "blocking of a few master genetic switches associated with “super enhancers” might be a simple cure for cancer, says Dr. Richard Young, of Whitehead research institute" and founder of Syros. They raised $83.1 M in two rounds, https://lnkd.in/eSdUNqN View in LinkedIn

ENHANCER CLUSTERS. "You might say that cancer cells are “fueled” by “super enhancers”, and might suggest inhibiting such a fueling source to cure cancer and you might be correct to be hopeful, albeit with a heavy dose of patience. Last year it was discovered there are a million enhancers in the human genome. Dr Young speculates that some of these enhancers act together in large clusters and function as a unit." https://lnkd.in/eSdUNqN View in LinkedIn

HOLY GRAIL. "For years cancer scientists have been reporting their discoveries of the mediators responsible for over expression of cancer genes. What makes Dr Young’s work more unique is that it suggests that a few master switches might control this gene at super enhancer regions. There are thousands of cancer gene transcription factors in the literature." https://lnkd.in/eSdUNqN View in LinkedIn

TUMOR "acquisition of specific super-enhancers presumably results from chromosomal translocation, gene amplification, increased transcription factor expression, or somatic mutation of noncoding elements, all of which are known to contribute to tumorigenesis. Interestingly, genomic rearrangements can also contribute to tumorigenesis by simultaneous ectopic transcriptional activation and haploinsufficiency during super-enhancers transitions." https://lnkd.in/exFAp7h View in LinkedIn