RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Chromatin accessibility dynamics across C. elegans development and ageing JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 279158 DO 10.1101/279158 A1 Jürgen Jänes A1 Yan Dong A1 Michael Schoof A1 Jacques Serizay A1 Alex Appert A1 Chiara Cerrato A1 Carson Woodbury A1 Ron Chen A1 Carolina Gemma A1 Ni Huang A1 Djem Kissiov A1 Przemysław Stempor A1 Annette Steward A1 Eva Zeiser A1 Sascha Sauer A1 Julie Ahringer YR 2018 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/03/10/279158.abstract AB Transcription regulation controls a large fraction of animal development and physiology from birth to death. Here we present the first map of transcriptional regulatory elements and their activity across the development and ageing of an animal. We identify 42,245 accessible elements in at least one C. elegans stage, defining 13,817 as protein-coding promoters and 17,918 as putative enhancers based on nuclear transcription profiles. Most show bidirectional transcription initiation, and in transgenic assays, both enhancers and promoters can drive orientation independent transcription of protein coding genes. Most elements have regulated accessibility during development or ageing, and accessibility patterns at promoters are linked to specific developmental or physiological processes. Histone modification patterns of promoters and enhancers significantly overlap and are correlated with transcriptional activity rather than element type. The map and characterization of regulatory elements across the life of the organism provides new entry points for understanding how transcription controls development and ageing.