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. 1998 Oct 15;17(20):6020–6027. doi: 10.1093/emboj/17.20.6020

Chromatin interaction mechanism of transcriptional control in vivo.

J Gribnau 1, E de Boer 1, T Trimborn 1, M Wijgerde 1, E Milot 1, F Grosveld 1, P Fraser 1
PMCID: PMC1170928  PMID: 9774345

Abstract

We have used a kinetic analysis to distinguish possible mechanisms of activation of transcription of the different genes in the human beta globin locus. Based on in situ studies at the single-cell level we have previously suggested a dynamic mechanism of single genes alternately interacting with the locus control region (LCR) to activate transcription. However, those steady-state experiments did not allow a direct measurement of the dynamics of the mechanism and the presence of loci with in situ primary transcript signals from two beta-like genes in cis has left open the possibility that multiple genes in the locus could initiate transcription simultaneously. Kinetic assays involving removal of a block to transcription elongation in conjunction with RNA FISH show that multiple beta gene primary transcript signals in cis represent a transition between alternating transcriptional periods of single genes, supporting a dynamic interaction mechanism.

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