Division of Gene Regulation, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nucleus. 2012 Mar 1;3(2):118-22. doi: 10.4161/nucl.19159.
The spatial folding of chromatin has been proposed to be involved in the regulation and coordination of gene expression. The mammalian Hox gene clusters form a particularly interesting case of coordinated gene regulation. Within each Hox cluster, the linear order of the genes closely reflects their temporal and anatomical expression pattern. This striking phenomenon suggests that the overall structure of the Hox clusters is important for their regulation. Recent studies employing chromatin conformation capture techniques indicate that Hox clusters adopt a remarkable spatial configuration, in which active and inactive genes are segregated into two distinct chromatin compartments. Here we discuss the possible underlying mechanisms and regulatory roles of this spatial compartmentalization.
染色质的空间折叠被认为参与了基因表达的调控和协调。哺乳动物的 Hox 基因簇形成了一个特别有趣的基因协调调控案例。在每个 Hox 簇中，基因的线性顺序紧密反映了它们的时间和解剖表达模式。这种显著的现象表明，Hox 簇的整体结构对于它们的调控很重要。最近采用染色质构象捕获技术的研究表明，Hox 簇采用了一种显著的空间构象，其中活跃和非活跃的基因被分隔成两个不同的染色质隔室。在这里，我们讨论这种空间分隔的可能潜在机制和调节作用。
