Conserved CTCF insulator elements flank the mouse and human beta-globin loci.

ABSTRACT: A binding site for the transcription factor CTCF is responsible for enhancer-blocking activity in a variety of vertebrate insulators, including the insulators at the 5' and 3' chromatin boundaries of the chicken beta-globin locus. To date, no functional domain boundaries have been defined at mammalian beta-globin loci, which are embedded within arrays of functional olfactory receptor genes. In an attempt to define boundary elements that could separate these gene clusters, CTCF-binding sites were searched for at the most distal DNase I-hypersensitive sites (HSs) of the mouse and human beta-globin loci. Conserved CTCF sites were found at 5'HS5 and 3'HS1 of both loci. All of these sites could bind to CTCF in vitro. The sites also functioned as insulators in enhancer-blocking assays at levels

SUBMITTER: Farrell CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC133827 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature