| First Author | Kim JH | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Genome Res | Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 533-44 |
| PubMed ID | 19141594 | Mgi Jnum | J:268863 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6272491 | Doi | 10.1101/gr.086496.108 |
| Citation | Kim JH, et al. (2009) Human gamma-satellite DNA maintains open chromatin structure and protects a transgene from epigenetic silencing. Genome Res 19(4):533-44 |
| abstractText | The role of repetitive DNA sequences in pericentromeric regions with respect to kinetochore/heterochromatin structure and function is poorly understood. Here, we use a mouse erythroleukemia cell (MEL) system for studying how repetitive DNA assumes or is assembled into different chromatin structures. We show that human gamma-satellite DNA arrays allow a transcriptionally permissive chromatin conformation in an adjacent transgene and efficiently protect it from epigenetic silencing. These arrays contain CTCF and Ikaros binding sites. In MEL cells, this gamma-satellite DNA activity depends on binding of Ikaros proteins involved in differentiation along the hematopoietic pathway. Given our discovery of gamma-satellite DNA in pericentromeric regions of most human chromosomes and a dynamic chromatin state of gamma-satellite arrays in their natural location, we suggest that gamma-satellite DNA represents a unique region of the functional centromere with a possible role in preventing heterochromatin spreading beyond the pericentromeric region. |
