Authors
Hao Rong, Heting Liu, Yanguo Li, Xiuchong Yu, Juan Du, Jiyang Zuo, Zixing Meng, Liuying Gao, Xing Li, Yuezhu Tao, Chunhui Huang, Zhisen Shen, Yang Xi, Guoji Guo, Deshuang Huang, Qinhu Zhang, Yi Zhao, Meng Ye, Qi Liao
Published in
Nucleic acids research. Volume 54. Issue 18. Sep 22, 2026.
Abstract
Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) contribute to gene expression specificity, yet their expression patterns at single-cell resolution remain poorly understood. Across 184 329 high-quality single cells from 187 full-length single-cell RNA-seq datasets, we identified 85 977 human and 82 727 mouse eRNAs, which were sparsely detected at the single-cell level (<5% in humans and <8% in mice) but showed high intercellular heterogeneity and contributed substantially to lineage-specific marker repertoires, accounting for up to 33.5% of human and 46.5% of mouse lineage markers. Through systematic analysis of eRNA expression patterns in embryonic development, brain tissues, and cancer, cell-specific eRNAs in different cell types were identified and corresponding regulatory networks were constructed. Our results indicate that eRNAs play important roles in diverse biological processes through modulation of gene expression. Finally, RACE confirmed the full transcription of a colorectal cancer-associated eRNA, whose elevated plasma levels, diagnostic performance, and postoperative reduction support its potential as a noninvasive biomarker for colon cancer detection and monitoring. Collectively, this study provides a comprehensive single-cell landscape of eRNA expression and offers a valuable resource for understanding eRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms.
PMID:
42831428
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 05 Oct 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 13
- Comments 0