Almost every division of NIH has invested heavily in understanding transcription factors (TFs). TFs are the managers of the cell, controlling everything from cell type to cellular response to stress. With their great power, it is no wonder, many human disorders (cancer, familial platelet disorder, Waardenburg syndrome, etc.) result from mutations in transcription factors. Moreover, over 75% of disease causing variants within the human genome reside in regulatory regions, which are dense with TF binding sites. Currently we can measure the location of TF binding, but binding does not equate with regulatory activity. Furthermore, binding analysis is conducted one TF at a time. What is desperately needed is a technology that is able to measure the activity of all TFs in a cell simultaneously. We have developed a novel approach, called eRNA pro?ling, that leverages enhancer RNAs to infer the activity of all TFs in a cell simultaneously. In this grant we seek to optimize our technology, making eRNA pro?ling more accurate, fast and broadly applicable.

Public Health Relevance

Transcription factors are important in many human diseases. When transcription factors function they produce eRNAs. We have developed a prototype technique that leverages eRNAs to infer the activity of all TF in a cell simultaneously.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM125871-02
Application #
9775454
Study Section
Molecular Genetics B Study Section (MGB)
Program Officer
Preusch, Peter
Project Start
2018-09-05
Project End
2022-06-30
Budget Start
2019-07-01
Budget End
2020-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Colorado at Boulder
Department
Biochemistry
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
007431505
City
Boulder
State
CO
Country
United States
Zip Code
80303