GATA-1 modulates the chromatin structure and activity of the chicken alpha-globin 3' enhancer.

ABSTRACT: Long-distance regulatory elements and local chromatin structure are critical for proper regulation of gene expression. Here we characterize the chromatin conformation of the chicken alpha-globin silencer-enhancer elements located 3' of the domain. We found a characteristic and erythrocyte-specific structure between the previously defined silencer and the enhancer, defined by two nuclease hypersensitive sites, which appear when the enhancer is active during erythroid differentiation. Fine mapping of these sites demonstrates the absence of a positioned nucleosome and the association of GATA-1. Functional analyses of episomal vectors, as well as stably integrated constructs, revealed that GATA-1 plays a major role in defining both the chromatin structure and the enhancer activity. We detected

SUBMITTER: Escamilla-Del-Arenal M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2223419 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature