A chromatin insulator driving three-dimensional Polycomb response element (PRE) contacts and Polycomb association with the chromatin fiber

TY - JOUR

T1 - A chromatin insulator driving three-dimensional Polycomb response element (PRE) contacts and Polycomb association with the chromatin fiber

AU - Comet, Itys

AU - Schuettengruber, Bernd

AU - Sexton, Tom

AU - Cavalli, Giacomo

PY - 2011/2/8

Y1 - 2011/2/8

N2 - Regulation of gene expression involves long-distance communication between regulatory elements and target promoters, but how this is achieved remains unknown. Insulator elements have been proposed to modulate the communication between regulatory elements and promoters due to their ability to insulate genes from regulatory elements or to take part in long-distance interactions. Using a high-resolution chromatin conformation capture (H3C) method, we show that the Drosophila gypsy insulator behaves as a conformational chromatin border that is able to prohibit contacts between a Polycomb response element (PRE) and a distal promoter. On the other hand, two spaced gypsy elements form a chromatin loop that is able to bring an upstream PRE in contact with a downstream gene to mediate its repression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) profiles of the Polycomb protein and its associated H3K27me3 histone mark reflect this insulator-dependent chromatin conformation, suggesting that Polycomb action at a distance can be organized by local chromatin topology.

AB - Regulation of gene expression involves long-distance communication between regulatory elements and target promoters, but how this is achieved remains unknown. Insulator elements have been proposed to modulate the communication between regulatory elements and promoters due to their ability to insulate genes from regulatory elements or to take part in long-distance interactions. Using a high-resolution chromatin conformation capture (H3C) method, we show that the Drosophila gypsy insulator behaves as a conformational chromatin border that is able to prohibit contacts between a Polycomb response element (PRE) and a distal promoter. On the other hand, two spaced gypsy elements form a chromatin loop that is able to bring an upstream PRE in contact with a downstream gene to mediate its repression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) profiles of the Polycomb protein and its associated H3K27me3 histone mark reflect this insulator-dependent chromatin conformation, suggesting that Polycomb action at a distance can be organized by local chromatin topology.

KW - Animals

KW - Chromatin

KW - Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly

KW - Drosophila Proteins

KW - Drosophila melanogaster

KW - Histones

KW - Insulator Elements

KW - Response Elements

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1002059108

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1002059108

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21262819

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 108

SP - 2294

EP - 2299

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 6

ER -