Lineage-specific compaction of Tcrb requires a chromatin barrier to protect the function of a long-range tethering element.

ABSTRACT: Gene regulation relies on dynamic changes in three-dimensional chromatin conformation, which are shaped by composite regulatory and architectural elements. However, mechanisms that govern such conformational switches within chromosomal domains remain unknown. We identify a novel mechanism by which cis-elements promote long-range interactions, inducing conformational changes critical for diversification of the TCRβ antigen receptor locus (Tcrb). Association between distal Vβ gene segments and the highly expressed DβJβ clusters, termed the recombination center (RC), is independent of enhancer function and recruitment of V(D)J recombinase. Instead, we find that tissue-specific folding of Tcrb relies on two distinct architectural elements located upstream of the RC. The first, a CTCF-containin

SUBMITTER: Majumder K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4291525 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature