Regulatory Potential of Mammalian Conserved Non-Coding Sequences in Human Cells
Author Information
Author(s): Catia Attanasio, Alexandre Reymond, Richard Humbert, Robert Lyle, Michael S Kuehn, Shane Neph, Peter J Sabo, Jeff Goldy, Molly Weaver, Andrew Haydock, Kristin Lee, Michael Dorschner, Emmanouil T Dermitzakis, Stylianos E Antonarakis, John A Stamatoyannopoulos
Primary Institution: University of Geneva Medical School
Hypothesis
What is the global contribution of conserved non-coding sequences to the transcriptional regulation of human genes?
Conclusion
Classic assays of cis-regulatory potential are unlikely to expose the functional potential of the majority of mammalian conserved non-coding sequences in the human genome.
Supporting Evidence
- The fraction of experimentally active conserved non-coding sequences within any given cell type is low (approximately 5%).
- Classic assays are unlikely to expose the functional potential of the majority of mammalian conserved non-coding sequences.
- Only a small fraction of CNCSs manifest the characteristic in vivo chromatin remodeling profile of classic cis-regulatory elements.
Takeaway
Scientists studied parts of our DNA that don't code for proteins to see if they help control gene activity, but found that most of them don't seem to do much.
Methodology
The study used classic assays including chromatin remodeling and enhancer/repressor and promoter activity tests across diverse human model cell types.
Potential Biases
Potential bias exists as the study primarily focused on CNCSs with strong human-mouse sequence identity.
Limitations
The study may not capture the full regulatory potential of CNCSs due to the limited number of cell types tested.
Participant Demographics
The study involved various human model cell types representing a broad range of tissue lineages.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website