Locus Control Regions

Overview

Journal Blood

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Hematology

Date 2002 Oct 18

PMID 12384402

Citations 188

Authors

Qiliang Li

Kenneth R Peterson

Xiangdong Fang

George Stamatoyannopoulos

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Locus control regions (LCRs) are operationally defined by their ability to enhance the expression of linked genes to physiological levels in a tissue-specific and copy number-dependent manner at ectopic chromatin sites. Although their composition and locations relative to their cognate genes are different, LCRs have been described in a broad spectrum of mammalian gene systems, suggesting that they play an important role in the control of eukaryotic gene expression. The discovery of the LCR in the beta-globin locus and the characterization of LCRs in other loci reinforces the concept that developmental and cell lineage-specific regulation of gene expression relies not on gene-proximal elements such as promoters, enhancers, and silencers exclusively, but also on long-range interactions of various cis regulatory elements and dynamic chromatin alterations.

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