Another issue to consider is that the spectrum of RNA products of RNA polymerase II has expanded considerably over the last years. It now includes numerous non-coding RNA products, including some that function as enhancers (enhancer RNAs) and thus influence transcription.121 Another important milestone that can aid researchers to correlate genomic data with disease and other phenotypic traits, for example by identifying elements responsible for tissue-specific expression, was the ENCODE project (https://www.encodeproject.org/). Because of the great importance of these expression elements, EnhancerAtlas has been assembled.122 This atlas provides expression information from 105 Human cell lines or tissues, using eight different measures of enhancer activity and DNA accessibility to RNA polymerase II. Consulting these diverse sources may allow more specific hypotheses to be formulated, and ultimately tested. When these hypotheses are validated, they may offer more specific information: cell of interest, enhancer or TF of interest, even revealing non-proximal genes that are actually mediating the phenotype. So, in the end, the route may be longer, but the destination more satisfying, when reached.
