A comprehensive map of predicted enhancers on a large panel of human primary cells, cell lines and tissues

Abstract

We applied an enhancer prediction method to an extensive set of epigenetic profiles from the ENCODE project. We identified enhancer elements in 104 human primary cells, cell lines, and tissues. This extensive generation of enhancer profiles allowed us to identify groups of cell types that are pretty similar in terms of enhancer usage and cell types that differ significantly. A case study on adult brain and embryo placenta tissues with quite different sets of active enhancers revealed cell-type specific enhancers that regulate the expression of genes linked to the tissue phenotype. Further exploitation of additional cell groups can reveal the lineage-specific enhancers.