REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Epigenomics and Epigenetics
This article is part of the Research TopicChromatin Modifications and Gene Expression: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Implications in DiseaseView all 6 articles
Super Enhancers as Key Drivers of Gene Regulatory Networks in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis
Provisionally accepted
- Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Super enhancers (SEs) are clusters of enhancers with exceptionally high transcriptional activity, crucial for determining cell identity and regulating gene expression. They function as key regulatory hubs, governing gene networks essential for normal hematopoiesis while also driving the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. This review summarizes the role of SEs in maintaining hematopoietic lineage identity and examines how their dysregulation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and multiple myeloma (MM) leads to oncogenic activation. By regulating key oncogenes, SEs represent promising therapeutic targets. Emerging strategies-such as BET inhibitors, CDK7/9 inhibitors, and rational drug combinations-effectively disrupt SE-driven transcriptional programs and show potential to overcome treatment resistance in these cancers.
Keywords: Super enhancers, Gene Expression Regulation, Hematopoiesis, HematologicalMalignancies, Oncogene regulation
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 29 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cheng, Pei, Zhang, Hou, Sun, Xu, Lv and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiuyun Wu, wuxy@zzu.edu.cn
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