National Research Centre Frontiers in Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Curr Top Dev Biol. 2013;104:113-48. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-416027-9.00004-8.
Ever since the observation that collinearity, that is, the sequential activity of Hox genes based on their relative positions within their gene clusters, is conserved throughout most of the animal kingdom, the question has been raised as to what are the underlying molecular mechanisms. In recent years, technological advances have allowed to uncover changes in chromatin organization that accompany collinearity at Hox gene clusters. Here, we discuss insights in the dynamics of histone modifications and 3D organization in Drosophila and mammals and relate these findings to genomic organization of Hox gene clusters. Using these findings, we propose a framework for collinearity, based on five components: clustering, coating, compaction, compartmentalization, and contacts. We argue that these five components may be sufficient to provide a mechanistic ground for the readout of collinearity in Drosophila and vertebrates.
自从观察到同源异形基因簇内的基因顺序活动（即共线性）在大多数动物王国中都得到保守以来，人们就提出了一个问题，即潜在的分子机制是什么。近年来，技术的进步使得人们能够揭示伴随同源异形基因簇共线性的染色质组织变化。在这里，我们讨论了在果蝇和哺乳动物中组蛋白修饰和 3D 组织的动态，并将这些发现与同源异形基因簇的基因组组织联系起来。利用这些发现，我们提出了一个基于五个组件的共线性框架：聚类、涂层、压缩、区室化和接触。我们认为，这五个组件可能足以提供一个机制基础，用于解释果蝇和脊椎动物中同源异形基因簇共线性的读取。
