Conserved sequences and cell-specific DNase I hypersensitive sites upstream from the co-ordinately expressed alpha I- and alpha II-globin genes of Xenopus laevis

Stalder, J; Meyerhof, W; Wirthmüller, U; Gruber, Andreas; Wyler, T; Knöchel, W; Weber, R (1986). Conserved sequences and cell-specific DNase I hypersensitive sites upstream from the co-ordinately expressed alpha I- and alpha II-globin genes of Xenopus laevis. Journal of molecular biology, 188(2), pp. 119-128. Elsevier 10.1016/0022-2836(86)90298-6

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The globin gene family of Xenopus laevis comprises pairs of closely related genes that are arranged in two clusters, each pair of genes being co-ordinately and stage-specifically expressed. To get information on putative regulatory elements, we compared the DNA sequences and the chromatin conformation 5' to the co-ordinately expressed adult alpha-globin genes. Sequence analysis revealed a relatively conserved region from the cap site up to position -289, and further upstream seven distinct boxes of homology, separated by more diverged sequences or deletions/insertions. The homology boxes comprise 22 to 194 base-pairs showing 78 to 95% homology. Analysis of chromatin conformation showed that DNase I preferentially cuts the upstream region of both genes at similar positions, 5' to the T-A-T-A and the C-C-A-A-T boxes, only in chromatin of adult erythroblasts and erythrocytes, where adult globin genes are expressed, but not in chromatin of adult liver cells or larval erythrocytes, where these genes are silent. This suggests that cell- and stage-specific activation of these genes coincides with specific changes in chromatin conformation within the proximal upstream region. No difference was found in the nucleotide sequence within the DNase I hypersensitive region proximal to the adult alpha 1-globin gene in DNA from embryonic cells, in which this gene is inactive, and adult erythrocytes, expressing this gene.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Cell Biology
UniBE Contributor:	Gruber, Andreas
Subjects:	500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
ISSN:	0022-2836
Publisher:	Elsevier
Language:	English
Submitter:	Andreas Gruber
Date Deposited:	28 Jan 2016 15:36
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:51
Publisher DOI:	10.1016/0022-2836(86)90298-6
PubMed ID:	3014154
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/74830