An insulator element 3' to the CFTR gene binds CTCF and reveals an active chromatin hub in primary cells.

ABSTRACT: Regulation of expression of the CFTR gene is poorly understood. Elements within the basal promoter of the gene do not fully explain CFTR expression patterns, suggesting that cis-regulatory elements are located elsewhere, either within the locus or in adjacent chromatin. We previously mapped DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHS) in 400 kb spanning the CFTR locus including a cluster of sites close to the 3'-end of the gene. Here we focus on a DHS at +6.8 kb from the CFTR translation end-point to evaluate its potential role in regulating expression of the gene. This DHS, which encompasses a consensus CTCF-binding site, was evident in primary human epididymis cells that express abundant CFTR mRNA. We show by DNase I footprinting and electophoretic mobility shift assays that the cis-regulatory ele

SUBMITTER: Blackledge NP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2651798 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature