Nascent RNA sequencing analysis provides insights into enhancer-mediated gene regulation

Enhancers are distal cis-regulatory elements that control gene expression. Despite an increasing appreciation of the importance of enhancers in cellular function and disease, our knowledge of enhancer-regulated transcription is very limited. Nascent RNA sequencing technologies, such as global nuclear run-on sequencing (GRO-seq) and precision run-on sequencing (PRO-seq), not only provide a direct and reliable measurement of enhancer activity, but also allow for quantifying transcription of enhancers and target genes simultaneously, making these technologies extremely useful for exploring enhancer-mediated regulation.