Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs transcribed from enhancers. As the markers of active enhancers, eRNAs play important roles in gene regulation and are associated with various complex traits and characteristics. With increasing attention to eRNAs, numerous eRNAs have been identified in different human tissues. However, the expression landscape, regulatory network and potential functions of eRNAs in animals have not been fully elucidated. Here, we systematically characterized 185 177 eRNAs from 5085 samples across 10 species by mapping the RNA sequencing data to the regions of known enhancers. To explore their potential functions based on evolutionary conservation, we investigated the sequence similarity of eRNAs among multiple species. In addition, we identified the possible associations between eRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) or nearby genes to decipher their possible regulators and target genes, as well as characterized trait-related eRNAs to explore their potential functions in biological processes. Based on these findings, we further developed Animal-eRNAdb (http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal-eRNAdb/), a user-friendly database for data searching, browsing and downloading. With the comprehensive characterization of eRNAs in various tissues of different species, Animal-eRNAdb may greatly facilitate the exploration of functions and mechanisms of eRNAs.

中文翻译：

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Animal-eRNAdb：一个综合的动物增强子 RNA 数据库

增强子 RNA (eRNA) 是一类由增强子转录的非编码 RNA。作为活性增强子的标志物，eRNA在基因调控中发挥着重要作用，并与各种复杂的性状和特征相关联。随着对 eRNA 的日益关注，已在不同的人体组织中鉴定出许多 eRNA。然而，eRNA在动物体内的表达格局、调控网络和潜在功能尚未完全阐明。在这里，我们通过将 RNA 测序数据映射到已知增强子的区域，系统地表征了来自 10 个物种的 5085 个样本的 185177 个 eRNA。为了探索它们基于进化保守的潜在功能，我们研究了多个物种之间 eRNA 的序列相似性。此外，我们确定了 eRNA 与转录因子 (TF) 或附近基因之间可能的关联，以破译它们可能的调节因子和靶基因，以及表征性状相关的 eRNA，以探索它们在生物过程中的潜在功能。基于这些发现，我们进一步开发了Animal-eRNAdb（http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal-eRNAdb/），这是一个用于数据搜索、浏览和下载的用户友好型数据库。通过对不同物种各种组织中eRNAs的全面表征，Animal-eRNAdb可以极大地促进eRNAs功能和机制的探索。我们进一步开发了Animal-eRNAdb（http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal-eRNAdb/），这是一个用于数据搜索、浏览和下载的用户友好型数据库。通过对不同物种各种组织中eRNAs的全面表征，Animal-eRNAdb可以极大地促进eRNAs功能和机制的探索。我们进一步开发了Animal-eRNAdb（http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal-eRNAdb/），这是一个用于数据搜索、浏览和下载的用户友好型数据库。通过对不同物种各种组织中eRNAs的全面表征，Animal-eRNAdb可以极大地促进eRNAs功能和机制的探索。