Three-dimensional organization of gene expression in erythroid cells.

Abstract

The history of globin research is marked by a series of contributions seminal to our understanding of the genome, its function, and its relation to disease. For example, based on studies on hemoglobinopathies, it was understood that gene expression can be under the control of DNA elements that locate away from the genes on the linear chromosome template. Recent technological developments have allowed the demonstration that these regulatory DNA elements communicate with the genes through physical interaction, which loops out the intervening chromatin fiber. Subsequent studies showed that the spatial organization of the beta-globin locus dynamically changes in relation to differences in gene expression. Moreover, it was shown that the beta-globin locus adopts a different position in the nucleus during development and erythroid maturation. Here, we discuss the most recent insight into the three-dimensional organization of gene expression.

• Authors: Wouter de Laat, Petra Klous, Jurgen Kooren, Daan Noordermeer, Robert-Jan Palstra, Marieke Simonis, Erik Splinter, Frank Grosveld
• Journal: Current topics in developmental biology (Curr Top Dev Biol) Vol. 82 Pg. 117-39 ( 2008) ISSN: 0070-2153 [Print] United States
• PMID: 18282519 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• DNA

Topics

• Animals
• Cell Nucleus (genetics)
• DNA (chemistry, genetics, metabolism)
• Erythroid Cells (metabolism)
• Gene Expression Regulation
• Humans
• Nucleic Acid Conformation