Cited by 4,143Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsPluripotent Stem Cells ResearchEpigenetics and DNA Methylation

Master Transcription Factors and Mediator Establish Super-Enhancers at Key Cell Identity Genes

Open access
Whyte, Warren A., Orlando, David A., Hnisz, Denes, Abraham, Brian J., Lin, Charles Y., Kagey, Michael H., Rahl, Peter B., Lee, Tong Ihn +1 more·2013·Cell

Abstract

Master transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog bind enhancer elements and recruit Mediator to activate much of the gene expression program of pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We report here that the ESC master transcription factors form unusual enhancer domains at most genes that control the pluripotent state. These domains, which we call super-enhancers, consist of clusters of enhancers that are densely occupied by the master regulators and Mediator. Super-enhancers differ from typical enhancers in size, transcription factor density and content, ability to activate transcription, and sensitivity to perturbation. Reduced levels of Oct4 or Mediator cause preferential loss of expression of super-enhancer-associated genes relative to other genes, suggesting how changes in gene expression programs might be accomplished during development. In other more differentiated cells, super-enhancers containing cell-type-specific master transcription factors are also found at genes that define cell identity. Super-enhancers thus play key roles in the control of mammalian cell identity.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2013.03.035

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  • In mammals, cellular identity is established prenatally and maintained by H3K27ac-enriched super-enhancers.

    “In mammals, cellular identity is established prenatally and maintained by H3K27ac-enriched super-enhancers (Hnisz et al., 2013; Whyte et al., 2013).”

    From Loss of epigenetic information as a cause of mammalian aging (2023) · cites this paper as Whyte et al., 2013

    The Results report that super-enhancers have substantially higher H3K27ac levels than typical enhancers, and the Discussion links super-enhancers to genes that establish and maintain cellular identity. The paper does not say that mammalian cellular identity is established prenatally; its statement about establishment and maintenance is conditional. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Super-enhancers commonly drive high-level expression of tissue-specific genes, including miRNA genes, with evolutionarily conserved cell type-specific function.

    “Super-enhancers commonly drive high-level expression of tissue-specific genes, including miRNA genes, with evolutionarily conserved cell type-specific function11–13.”

    From Gain-of-function mutation of microRNA-140 in human skeletal dysplasia (2019) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Results sections on functional attributes and cell identity report higher expression of super-enhancer-associated genes, cell type-specific associations, and an ESC miRNA locus among those genes. The Discussion says these regulatory clusters evolved, but our copy does not establish that their cell type-specific functions are evolutionarily conserved. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Some enhancers reside in clusters of a handful to even hundreds ('super enhancers'), whereas many are solo.

    “Some enhancers reside in clusters of a handful116 to even hundreds (‘super enhancers’76,117), whereas many are solo.”

    From Towards a comprehensive catalogue of validated and target-linked human enhancers (2020) · cites this paper as [76]

    The Results section describes super-enhancers as clusters of constituent enhancers and says the vast majority of enhancers in the studied embryonic stem cells are typical enhancers. The passages do not establish that a super-enhancer contains hundreds of enhancers or that the typical enhancers are necessarily solo; no page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Mediator and BRD4 co-localise at very high levels at super-enhancers, long stretches of sequences with gene regulatory activity that generally drive greater levels of gene expression than regular enhancers.

    “In particular, Mediator and BRD4 co-localise at very high levels at “super-enhancers” (SEs): long stretches of sequences with gene regulatory activity that generally drive greater levels of gene expression than regular enhancers [69–72].”

    From Transcriptional enhancers and their communication with gene promoters (2021) · cites this paper as [72]

    The Results sections on large genomic domains and functional attributes describe super-enhancers as unusually long, highly occupied by Mediator, and associated with higher gene expression than typical enhancers. The passages have no page numbers in our copy. They do not establish that BRD4 co-localises with Mediator at super-enhancers. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • A catalog of 748 large enhancers was assembled from scATAC-seq data from diseased TAC hearts.

    “we assembled a catalog of 748 large enhancers28 using scATAC-seq data from diseased hearts (TAC) (Extended Data Fig. 6A).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Dunham I Kundaje A Aldred SF Collins PJ Davis CA Doyle F Epstein CB Frietze S Harrow J Kaul R 2012 An integrated encyclopedia of DNA elements in the human genome Nature 489 57 74 22955616 PMC3439153

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Authors
Whyte, W. A., Orlando, D. A., Hnisz, D., Abraham, B. J., Lin, C. Y., Kagey, M. H., Rahl, P. B., Lee, T. I., & Young, R. A.
Affiliations
  • Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (US)
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Young, Richard A.
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-04
Volume
153
Issue
2
Pages
307-319
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1971578941
Cited by
4,143
References
95
Citations by year
2026: 226 · 2025: 346 · 2024: 384 · 2023: 380 · 2022: 376 · 2021: 449 · 2020: 360 · 2019: 343 · 2018: 308 · 2017: 267 · 2016: 248 · 2015: 225 · 2014: 169 · 2013: 54 · 2012: 1
FWCI
103.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PMC
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (HG002668, R01HG002668)
  • National Cancer Institute (CA146445, R01CA146445, P30CA014051)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Pluripotent Stem Cells Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
Keywords
super-enhancers, Mediator complex, Oct4, SOX2, Nanog, pluripotency, embryonic stem cells, cell identity genes, transcriptional regulation, cell differentiation, enhancer recruitment
MeSH terms
Animals, B-Lymphocytes, Cell Line, Enhancer Elements, Genetic, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Transcription Factors, Transcription, Genetic, Cell Lineage, Mice, Embryonic Stem Cells, Gene Knockdown Techniques, Mediator Complex

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