A CTCF-dependent silencer located in the differentially methylated area may regulate expression of a housekeeping gene overlapping a tissue-specific gene domain.

ABSTRACT: The tissue-specific chicken alpha-globin gene domain represents one of the paradigms, in terms of its constitutively open chromatin conformation and the location of several regulatory elements within the neighboring housekeeping gene. Here, we show that an 0.2-kb DNA fragment located approximately 4 kb upstream to the chicken alpha-globin gene cluster contains a binding site for the multifunctional protein factor CTCF and possesses silencer activity which depends on CTCF binding, as demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis of the CTCF recognition sequence. CTCF was found to be associated with this recognition site in erythroid cells but not in lymphoid cells where the site is methylated. A functional promoter directing the transcription of the apparently housekeeping ggPRX gene was found

SUBMITTER: Klochkov D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1430243 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature