Alternative sets of DNase I-hypersensitive sites characterize the various functional states of the chicken lysozyme gene.

The structural organization of chromatin is thought to determine the state of differentiation and activity of eukaryotic genes. Local interruptions of the regular nucleosomal array, the so-called DNase-hypersensitive sites, may indicate regions of the genome which play a critical part in regulation of differential gene activity. We present here two new observations on the chromatin structure of the chicken lysozyme gene, which strongly support a regulatory function for these sites. First, different sets of DNase I-hypersensitive sites have been found upstream from the promoter, depending on whether the gene is constitutively expressed (cultured macrophages) or in the steroid hormone-controlled state (oviduct). It seems, therefore, that diverse modes of regulation of the same gene are associated with discrete patterns of DNase I hypersensitivity. Second, one of the DNase I-hypersensitive sites in the oviduct chromatin disappears and reappears on steroid hormone withdrawal and secondary induction. These reversible changes in a narrow chromatin region reflect the transition from the potentially active to the active state of the lysozyme gene.