Inter-MAR Association Contributes to Transcriptionally Active Looping Events in Human β-globin Gene Cluster
2009

How MAR Elements Affect β-globin Gene Expression

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Wang Li, Di Li-Jun, Lv Xiang, Zheng Wei, Zheng Guo, Zhi-Chen Liu, De-Pei Liang, Chi-Chuan Imhof

Primary Institution: National Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) and Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, People's Republic of China

Hypothesis

The study investigates how matrix attachment regions (MARs) influence the expression of β-globin genes through inter-MAR associations mediated by SATB1.

Conclusion

The study concludes that SATB1 is a key regulatory factor for β-globin gene expression by influencing the higher order chromatin structure through inter-MAR associations.

Supporting Evidence

  • SATB1 binds to MAR elements and mediates their association.
  • Inter-MAR associations are crucial for the expression of β-globin genes.
  • Knocking down SATB1 reduces the expression of ε-globin genes.

Takeaway

This study shows that certain DNA regions help organize genes in a way that makes them easier to read, and a special protein helps keep these regions connected.

Methodology

The study used various assays including QACT and ChIP-3C to identify MAR elements and their interactions in K562 cells.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0004629

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