Facultative CTCF sites moderate mammary super-enhancer activity and regulate juxtaposed gene in non-mammary cells.

ABSTRACT: Precise spatiotemporal gene regulation is paramount for the establishment and maintenance of cell-specific programmes. Although there is evidence that chromatin neighbourhoods, formed by the zinc-finger protein CTCF, can sequester enhancers and their target genes, there is limited in vivo evidence for CTCF demarcating super-enhancers and preventing cross talk between distinct regulatory elements. Here, we address these questions in the Wap locus with its mammary-specific super-enhancer separated by CTCF sites from widely expressed genes. Mutational analysis demonstrates that the Wap super-enhancer controls Ramp3, despite three separating CTCF sites. Their deletion in mice results in elevated expression of Ramp3 in mammary tissue through augmented promoter-enhancer interactions. Deletion of

SUBMITTER: Willi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5520053 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature