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Related Concept Videos

Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
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Exon Recombination02:32

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Updated: Jun 7, 2026

A Computational Pipeline for Intergenic/Intragenic Enhancer RNA Quantification in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
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A Computational Pipeline for Intergenic/Intragenic Enhancer RNA Quantification in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Published on: October 28, 2025

Emergence of protein-coding enhancer RNAs in primate evolution.

Monica G Valencia Gattas1, Ramin Shiekhattar1

  • 1Department of Human Genetics, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA.

Trends in Genetics : TIG
|June 5, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), once thought noncoding, can be translated into primate-specific proteins. This discovery redefines the function and output of active enhancers.

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Last Updated: Jun 7, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are transcripts from active enhancers, typically considered non-functional.
  • The Integrator complex processes these short, unstable RNA polymerase II transcripts.
  • Previous understanding limited eRNA function to regulatory roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional potential of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs).
  • To determine if eRNAs can be translated into proteins.
  • To explore the specificity and implications of any translated eRNA products.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of RNA polymerase II transcripts from active enhancers.
  • Identification of open reading frames within eRNA sequences.
  • Experimental validation of eRNA translation in primate systems.

Main Results:

  • A subset of eRNAs possess translatable open reading frames.
  • These eRNAs are translated into arginine-rich proteins.
  • The resulting proteins exhibit high specificity to primate species.

Conclusions:

  • Enhancer RNAs are not exclusively noncoding.
  • eRNAs can serve as templates for protein synthesis.
  • This finding expands the known functions of enhancers and their regulatory elements.