BMAL1 and YAP cooperate to hijack enhancers and promote inflammation in the aged epidermis [ChIP-Seq 1]

However, the molecular mechanisms driving age-associated inflammation remain poorly understood. The mammalian skin is a clinically relevant target of age-driven inflammation associated with compromised barrier function, inefficient wound healing, elevated oxidative stress, and DNA damage accumulation.

Here, we show that upon ageing a previously uncharacterised BMAL1–YAP transcriptional complex is hijacked from chromatin regions associated with homeostatic genes in adult epidermis and redirected to inflammation-related enhancers, amplifying the transcription of their target genes. Independently of its known role as a core circadian clock component, BMAL1 partners with the mechanosensitive transcriptional cofactor YAP at enhancer regions to regulate epidermal identity genes.