A Super-enhancer Associated with CD47 Links Pro-inflammatory Signaling in CD47 Upregulation in Breast Cancer

CD47 is a cell surface molecule that inhibits phagocytosis of cells that express it by binding to its receptor, SIRPa, on macrophages and other immune cells. CD47 is expressed at different levels in normal cells, however, in cancer cells, CD47 transcript and protein expression is aberrantly increased. Here we sought to uncover the regulators of CD47 transcription, including active enhancers that increase its aberrant expression in cancer cells, in order to reveal mechanisms by which different neoplastic cells generate this dominant 'don't eat me' signal. Enhancers are genomic regions, often referred to as "switches", that can turn on or off the transcription of target genes. Recently the discovery of super-enhancers (SEs) has given more insight into the regulatory architecture of key genes that are highly expressed in a specific cell type, during a particular developmental stage or in disease. By analyzing the CD47 regulatory genomic landscape, we discovered... (for more see dbGaP study page.)