This track displays
DNaseI hypersensitivity
data for the NHGRI ENCODE target regions. DNase-I hypersensitive
sites are thought to represent nucleosome-free regions of DNA which
are bound by trans-acting factors. Treatment of nuclei with the enzyme
DNase I results in cleavage at these sites that can be detected after
running the DNA on an acrylamide gel, blotting to a membrane, and
probing with a radiolableled, complementary fragment.
The long-term goal of the NHGRI ENCODE Project (ENCyclopedia of DNA Elements) is to identify all functional elements in the human genome sequence to facilitate a better understanding of human biology and disease.
During the pilot phase, 44 regions comprising 30 Mb -- approximately 1% of the human genome -- have been selected for intensive study to identify, locate and analyze functional elements within the regions. These targets are being studied by a diverse public research consortium to test and evaluate the efficacy of various methods, technologies, and strategies for locating genomic features. The outcome of this initial phase will form the basis for a larger-scale effort to analyze the entire human genome.
The ENCODE Project: Target Selection Process provides a description of how the initial target regions were selected.
To open a UCSC Genome Browser with a menu for selecting ENCODE regions, use ENCODE Regions in the UCSC Browser .