CpG methylation of half-CRE sequences creates C/EBPalpha binding sites that activate some tissue-specific genes.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation of the cytosine in the CpG dinucleotide is typically associated with gene silencing. Genomic analyses have identified low CpG promoters that are both methylated and transcriptionally active, but the mechanism underlying the activation of these methylated promoters remains unclear. Here we show that CpG methylation of the CRE sequence (TGACGTCA) enhances the DNA binding of the C/EBPα transcription factor, a protein critical for activation of differentiation in various cell types. Transfection assays also show that C/EBPα activates the CRE sequence only when it is methylated. The biological significance of this observation was seen in differentiating primary keratinocyte cultures from newborn mice where certain methylated promoters are both bound by C/EBPα and activated upon

SUBMITTER: Rishi V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2996703 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature