Evidence for a Globin Promoter-Specific Silencer Element Located Upstream of the Human δ-Globin Gene

ABSTRACT MRG15 is a highly conserved protein, and orthologs exist in organisms from yeast to humans. MRG15 associates with at least two nucleoprotein complexes that include histone acetyltransferases and/or histone deacetylases, suggesting it is involved in chromatin remodeling. To study the role of MRG15 in vivo, we generated knockout mice and determined that the phenotype is embryonic lethal, with embryos and the few stillborn pups exhibiting developmental delay. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates that apoptosis in Mrg15 − / − embryos is not increased compared with wild-type littermates. However, the number of proliferating cells is significantly reduced in various tissues of the smaller null embryos compared with control littermates. Cell proliferation defects are also observed in Mrg15 − / − mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The hearts of the Mrg15 − / − embryos exhibit some features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The increase in size of the cardiomyocytes is most likely a response to decreased growth of the cells. Mrg15 − / − embryos appeared pale, and microarray analysis revealed that α-globin gene expression was decreased in null versus wild-type embryos. We determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation that MRG15 was recruited to the α-globin promoter during dimethyl sulfoxide-induced mouse erythroleukemia cell differentiation. These findings demonstrate that MRG15 has an essential role in embryonic development via chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation.

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A silencer element from the alpha-globin gene inhibits expression of beta-like genes

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.8.11.5047-5051.1988 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 5047-5051

Author(s):

G F Atweh ◽

J M Liu ◽

H E Brickner ◽

X X Zhu

Keyword(s):

Globin Gene ◽

Expression System ◽

Globin Genes ◽

Beta Globin ◽

Base Pair Fragment ◽

Alpha Globin ◽

In Trans ◽

Cis And Trans ◽

In Cis ◽

Silencer Element

We have studied the cis and trans interactions of the alpha- and beta-globin genes in a transient expression system. We found that the alpha-globin gene inhibited beta-globin expression in cis but not in trans. The silencer element responsible for this inhibition was localized to a 259-base-pair fragment at the 5' end of the alpha-globin gene.

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Activation of β-Globin Promoter by Erythroid Krüppel-Like Factor

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.18.1.102 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 102-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Haruhiko Asano ◽

George Stamatoyannopoulos

Keyword(s):

Binding Site ◽

Zinc Finger Protein ◽

Globin Gene ◽

K562 Cells ◽

Sequence Difference ◽

Optimal Position ◽

Finger Protein ◽

Primary Determinant ◽

Globin Promoter ◽

Globin Gene Expression

ABSTRACT Erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF), an erythroid tissue-specific Krüppel-type zinc finger protein, binds to the β-globin gene CACCC box and is essential for β-globin gene expression. EKLF does not activate the γ gene, the CACCC sequence of which differs from that of the β gene. To test whether the CACCC box sequence difference is the primary determinant of the selective activation of the β gene by EKLF, the CACCC boxes of β and γ genes were swapped and the resulting promoter activities were assayed by transient transfections in CV-1 cells. EKLF activated the β promoter carrying a γ CACCC box at a level comparable to that at which it activated the wild-type β promoter, whereas EKLF failed to activate a γ promoter carrying the β CACCC box, despite the presence of the optimal EKLF binding site. Similar results were obtained in K562 cells. The possibility that overexpressed EKLF superactivated the β promoter carrying the γ CACCC box, or that EKLF activated the mutated β promoter through the intact distal CACCC box, was excluded. To test whether the position of the CACCC box in the β or γ promoter determined EKLF specificity, the proximal β CACCC box sequence was created at the position of the β promoter (−140) which corresponds to the position of the CACCC box on the γ promoter. Similarly, the β CACCC box was created in the position of the γ promoter (−90) corresponding to the position of the CACCC box in the β promoter. EKLF retained weak activation potential on the β−140CAC promoter, whereas EKLF failed to activate the γ−90βCAC promoter even though that promoter contained an optimal EKLF binding site at the optimal position. Taken together, our findings indicate that the specificity of the activation of the β promoter by EKLF is determined by the overall structure of the β promoter rather than solely by the sequence of the β gene CACCC box.

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Locus control region activity by 5′HS3 requires a functional interaction with β-globin gene regulatory elements: expression of novel β/γ-globin hybrid transgenes

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v95.10.3242 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 95 (10) ◽

pp. 3242-3249 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Joel E. Rubin ◽

Peter Pasceri ◽

Xiumei Wu ◽

Philippe Leboulch ◽

James Ellis

Keyword(s):

Gene Therapy ◽

Transgenic Mice ◽

Control Region ◽

Globin Gene ◽

Single Copy ◽

Gene Sequences ◽

Coding Sequences ◽

Globin Promoter ◽

Intron 2 ◽

Chromatin Opening

Abstract The human β-globin locus control region (LCR) contains chromatin opening and transcriptional enhancement activities that are important to include in β-globin gene therapy vectors. We previously used single-copy transgenic mice to map chromatin opening activity to the 5′HS3 LCR element. Here, we test novel hybrid globin genes to identify β-globin gene sequences that functionally interact with 5′HS3. First, we show that an 850-base pair (bp) 5′HS3 element activates high-level β-globin gene expression in fetal livers of 17 of 17 transgenic mice, including 3 single-copy animals, but fails to reproducibly activate Aγ-globin transgenes. To identify the β-globin gene sequences required for LCR activity by 5′HS3, we linked the 815-bp β-globin promoter to Aγ-globin coding sequences (BGT34), together with either the β-globin intron 2 (BGT35), the β-globin 3′ enhancer (BGT54), or both intron 2 and the 3′ enhancer (BGT50). Of these transgenes, only BGT50 reproducibly expresses Aγ-globin RNA (including 7 of 7 single-copy animals, averaging 71% per copy). Modifications to BGT50 show that LCR activity is detected after replacing the β-globin promoter with the 700-bp Aγ-globin promoter, but is abrogated when an AT-rich region is deleted from β-globin intron 2. We conclude that LCR activity by 5′HS3 on globin promoters requires the simultaneous presence of β-globin intron 2 sequences and the 260-bp 3′ β-globin enhancer. The BGT50 construct extends the utility of the 5′HS3 element to include erythroid expression of nonadult β-globin coding sequences in transgenic animals and its ability to express antisickling γ-globin coding sequences at single copy are ideal characteristics for a gene therapy cassette.

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Sardinian G gamma-HPFH: a T----C substitution in a conserved "octamer" sequence in the G gamma-globin promoter

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v71.3.815.815 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

pp. 815-817 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

S Ottolenghi ◽

S Nicolis ◽

R Taramelli ◽

N Malgaretti ◽

R Mantovani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Globin Gene ◽

Single Point ◽

Point Mutations ◽

Fetal Hemoglobin ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Globin Genes ◽

Gamma Globin ◽

New Type ◽

Hereditary Persistence ◽

Globin Promoter

Abstract A survey of hemoglobinopathies in Northern Sardinia allowed the identification of two subjects heterozygous for a new type of G gamma hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). The G gamma-globin gene from the HPFH chromosome shows the presence of a T----C substitution 175 nucleotides upstream of the CAP site, adding a new example of single-point mutations occurring in the promoter region of the gamma-globin genes and linked to HPFH phenotypes. In this case the mutation affects the 3′ end nucleotide of a conserved octamer sequence known to be present in other regulatory elements of several genes.

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Restoration of the CCAAT Box or Insertion of the CACCC Motif Activate δ-Globin Gene Expression

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v90.1.421 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 90 (1) ◽

pp. 421-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Delia C. Tang ◽

David Ebb ◽

Ross C. Hardison ◽

Griffin P. Rodgers

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Binding Site ◽

Globin Gene ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

K562 Cells ◽

Promoter Sequence ◽

Flanking Sequence ◽

Globin Promoter ◽

Ccaat Box ◽

Globin Gene Expression

Abstract Hemoglobin A2 (HbA2 ), which contains δ-globin as its non–α-globin, represents a minor fraction of the Hb found in normal adults. It has been shown recently that HbA2 is as potent as HbF in inhibiting intracellular deoxy-HbS polymerization, and its expression is therefore relevant to sickle cell disease treatment strategies. To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the low-level expression of the δ-globin gene in adult erythroid cells, we first compared promoter sequences and found that the δ-globin gene differs from the β-globin gene in the absence of an erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF ) binding site, the alteration of the CCAAT box to CCAAC, and the presence of a GATA-1 binding site. Second, serial deletions of the human δ-globin promoter sequence fused to a luciferase (LUC) reporter gene were transfected into K562 cells. We identified both positive and negative regulatory regions in the 5′ flanking sequence. Furthermore, a plasmid containing a single base pair (bp) mutation in the CCAAC box of the δ promoter, restoring the CCAAT box, caused a 5.6-fold and 2.4-fold (P < .05) increase of LUC activity in transfected K562 cells and MEL cells, respectively, in comparison to the wild-type δ promoter. A set of substitutions that create an EKLF binding site centered at −85 bp increased the expression by 26.8-fold and 6.5-fold (P < .05) in K562 and MEL cells, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that the restoration of either an EKLF binding site or the CCAAT box can increase δ-globin gene expression, with potential future clinical benefit.

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Structural and Functional Cross-Talk between a Distant Enhancer and the ɛ-Globin Gene Promoter Shows Interdependence of the Two Elements in Chromatin

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.19.11.7600 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 19 (11) ◽

pp. 7600-7609 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Jennifer C. McDowell ◽

Ann Dean

Keyword(s):

Globin Gene ◽

Gene Promoter ◽

Transcription Activation ◽

Tata Box ◽

Globin Genes ◽

Hypersensitive Site ◽

Nuclease Digestion ◽

Dnase I Hypersensitive Site ◽

Globin Promoter ◽

Gata Motif

ABSTRACT We investigated the requirements for enhancer-promoter communication by using the human β-globin locus control region (LCR) DNase I-hypersensitive site 2 (HS2) enhancer and the ɛ-globin gene in chromatinized minichromosomes in erythroid cells. Activation of globin genes during development is accompanied by localized alterations of chromatin structure, and CACCC binding factors and GATA-1, which interact with both globin promoters and the LCR, are believed to be critical for globin gene transcription activation. We found that an HS2 element mutated in its GATA motif failed to remodel the ɛ-globin promoter or activate transcription yet HS2 nuclease accessibility did not change. Accessibility and transcription were reduced at promoters with mutated GATA-1 or CACCC sites. Strikingly, these mutations also resulted in reduced accessibility at HS2. In the absence of a globin gene, HS2 is similarly resistant to nuclease digestion. In contrast to observations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, HS2-dependent promoter remodeling was diminished when we mutated the TATA box, crippling transcription. This mutation also reduced HS2 accessibility. The results indicate that the ɛ-globin promoter and HS2 interact both structurally and functionally and that both upstream activators and the basal transcription apparatus contribute to the interaction. Further, at least in this instance, transcription activation and promoter remodeling by a distant enhancer are not separable.

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Developmental- and differentiation-specific patterns of human γ- and β-globin promoter DNA methylation

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2007-01-068635 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 110 (4) ◽

pp. 1343-1352 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Rodwell Mabaera ◽

Christine A. Richardson ◽

Kristin Johnson ◽

Mei Hsu ◽

Steven Fiering ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Promoter Methylation ◽

Fetal Liver ◽

Globin Gene ◽

Erythroid Cells ◽

Promoter Dna Methylation ◽

Globin Promoter ◽

Promoter Dna

AbstractThe mechanisms underlying the human fetal-to-adult β-globin gene switch remain to be determined. While there is substantial experimental evidence to suggest that promoter DNA methylation is involved in this process, most data come from studies in nonhuman systems. We have evaluated human γ- and β-globin promoter methylation in primary human fetal liver (FL) and adult bone marrow (ABM) erythroid cells. Our results show that, in general, promoter methylation and gene expression are inversely related. However, CpGs at −162 of the γ promoter and −126 of the β promoter are hypomethylated in ABM and FL, respectively. We also studied γ-globin promoter methylation during in vitro differentiation of erythroid cells. The γ promoters are initially hypermethylated in CD34+ cells. The upstream γ promoter CpGs become hypomethylated during the preerythroid phase of differentiation and are then remethylated later, during erythropoiesis. The period of promoter hypomethylation correlates with transient γ-globin gene expression and may explain the previously observed fetal hemoglobin production that occurs during early adult erythropoiesis. These results provide the first comprehensive survey of developmental changes in human γ- and β-globin promoter methylation and support the hypothesis that promoter methylation plays a role in human β-globin locus gene switching.

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Substitution of the Human β-Spectrin Promoter for the Human Aγ-Globin Promoter Prevents Silencing of a Linked Human β-Globin Gene in Transgenic Mice

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.18.11.6634 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 6634-6640 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Denise E. Sabatino ◽

Amanda P. Cline ◽

Patrick G. Gallagher ◽

Lisa J. Garrett ◽

George Stamatoyannopoulos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transgenic Mice ◽

Fetal Liver ◽

Globin Gene ◽

Gene Promoter ◽

Yolk Sac ◽

Globin Genes ◽

Erythroid Cells ◽

Globin Mrna ◽

Globin Promoter ◽

In Erythroid Cells

ABSTRACT During development, changes occur in both the sites of erythropoiesis and the globin genes expressed at each developmental stage. Previous work has shown that high-level expression of human β-like globin genes in transgenic mice requires the presence of the locus control region (LCR). Models of hemoglobin switching propose that the LCR and/or stage-specific elements interact with globin gene sequences to activate specific genes in erythroid cells. To test these models, we generated transgenic mice which contain the human Aγ-globin gene linked to a 576-bp fragment containing the human β-spectrin promoter. In these mice, the β-spectrin Aγ-globin (βsp/Aγ) transgene was expressed at high levels in erythroid cells throughout development. Transgenic mice containing a 40-kb cosmid construct with the micro-LCR, βsp/Aγ-, ψβ-, δ-, and β-globin genes showed no developmental switching and expressed both human γ- and β-globin mRNAs in erythroid cells throughout development. Mice containing control cosmids with the Aγ-globin gene promoter showed developmental switching and expressed Aγ-globin mRNA in yolk sac and fetal liver erythroid cells and β-globin mRNA in fetal liver and adult erythroid cells. Our results suggest that replacement of the γ-globin promoter with the β-spectrin promoter allows the expression of the β-globin gene. We conclude that the γ-globin promoter is necessary and sufficient to suppress the expression of the β-globin gene in yolk sac erythroid cells.

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DNA-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (helicaselike transcription factor) activates β-globin transcription in K562 cells

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v99.1.348 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 99 (1) ◽

pp. 348-356 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Milind C. Mahajan ◽

Sherman M. Weissman

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Developmental Regulation ◽

Globin Gene ◽

K562 Cells ◽

Homologous Sequence ◽

Gene Promoters ◽

Conserved Sequence ◽

Evolutionarily Conserved ◽

Dna Elements ◽

Globin Promoter

Correct developmental regulation of β-like globin gene expression is achieved by preferential transcription of a gene at a given developmental stage, silencing of other β-like gene promoters, and competition among these promoters for interaction with the locus control region (LCR). Several evolutionarily conserved DNA elements in the promoters of the β-like genes and LCR have been studied in detail, and the role of their binding factors has been investigated. However, the β-globin promoter includes additional evolutionarily conserved sequences of unknown function. The present study examined the properties of a 21-base pair (bp) promoter-conserved sequence (PCS) located at positions −115 to −136 bp relative to the transcription start site of the β-globin gene. A helicaselike transcription factor (HLTF) belonging to the SWI2/SNF2 family of proteins binds to the PCS and a partly homologous sequence in the enhancer region of the LCR hypersensitive site 2 (HS2). Elevation of the level of HLTF in K562 erythroleukemic cells increases β-promoter activity in transient transfection experiments, and mutations in the PCS that remove HLTF-binding regions abolish this effect, suggesting that HLTF is an activator of β-globin transcription. Overexpression of HLTF in K562 cells does not affect the endogenous levels of γ- and ε-globin message, but it markedly activates β-globin transcription. In conclusion, this study reports a transcription factor belonging to the SWI2/SNF2 family, which preferentially activates chromosomal β-globin gene transcription and which has not previously been implicated in globin gene regulation.

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