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First published online 29 August 2006
doi: 10.1242/jcs.03050

Journal of Cell Science 119, 3876-3887 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
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Research Article

Homologous gene sequences mediate transcription-domain formation

Alexandra Binnie, Pedro Castelo-Branco, Joan Monks and Nicholas J. Proudfoot*

Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: nicholas.proudfoot{at}path.ox.ac.uk)

Accepted 17 May 2006

The organisation of transcription in the mammalian nucleus is a topic of particular interest because of its relevance to gene regulation. RNA polymerase II transcription occurs at hundreds of sites throughout the nucleoplasm. Recent data indicate that coordinately regulated genes can localise to shared transcription sites. Other transcribed sequences have also been shown to cluster in the nucleus. The ribosomal RNA genes cluster in the nucleoli. Similarly, transiently transfected plasmids and dsDNA viruses form transcription domains (TDs) containing multiple templates. Intriguingly, plasmids expressing ß-globin gene sequences recruit the endogenous ß-globin loci to their TDs. In light of this observation, we have investigated plasmid TDs as a model for gene recruitment. We find that TD formation is dependent on the presence of homologous gene sequences. Plasmids containing non-homologous gene sequences form separate TDs, independent of homology in the backbone or promoter sequences. TD formation is also favoured by low plasmid concentrations. This effect is sequence-specific and high concentrations of one plasmid do not disrupt domain formation by non-homologous plasmids in the same cell. We conclude that recruitment into TDs is an active process that is driven by homologies between transcribed sequences and becomes saturated at high copy numbers.

Key words: Transcription, Nuclear structure, Plasmids, Transfection


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Transcription sites: pair and pair alike

JCS 2006 119: 1805. [Full Text]  



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