Born at the Enhancer, Defined by Function

An enhancer tells us where an RNA is produced, but not what it becomes. eRNAs are often treated as unstable markers of enhancer activity, yet some are processed, persist, move beyond the nucleus and regulate other RNAs. The emerging evidence suggests it is time to follow the RNA itself: its processing, stability, localisation, interactions and function. Our framework recognises nascent, transient, stable, regulatory and translated states, without assuming every eRNA passes through them all. The key is to match experiments to the biology being investigated. Where an eRNA starts matters, but what it does cannot be inferred from its origin.