CTCF demarcates chicken embryonic α-globin gene autonomous silencing and contributes to adult stage-specific gene expression.

ABSTRACT: Genomic loci composed of more than one gene are frequently subjected to differential gene expression, with the chicken α-globin domain being a clear example. In the present study we aim to understand the globin switching mechanisms responsible for the epigenetic silencing of the embryonic π gene and the transcriptional activation of the adult α(D) and α(A) genes at the genomic domain level. In early stages, we describe a physical contact between the embryonic π gene and the distal 3' enhancer that is lost later during development. We show that such a level of regulation is achieved through the establishment of a DNA hypermethylation sub-domain that includes the embryonic gene and the adjacent genomic sequences. The multifunctional CCCTCC-binding factor (CTCF), which is located upstream of

SUBMITTER: Valdes-Quezada C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3883786 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature