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. 1991 Mar 25;19(6):1219–1226. doi: 10.1093/nar/19.6.1219

The promoter and enhancer of the inactive chicken beta-globin gene contains precisely positioned nucleosomes.

R Buckle 1, M Balmer 1, A Yenidunya 1, J Allan 1
PMCID: PMC333846  PMID: 1709485

Abstract

Core histone octamers reconstituted in vitro onto DNA fragments containing the chicken beta-globin gene promoter are precisely positioned with respect to the underlying DNA sequence [1]. Here we show that this is also true of the chicken beta-globin gene enhancer. These nucleosome binding sites are also employed within transfected COS cell nuclei, where the chicken beta-globin gene is transcriptionally inactive. Similar results were found in vivo, where positioned nucleosomes were detected over the inactive beta-globin promoter in chicken brain cells and 5-day red blood cells, and over the inactive beta-globin enhancer in brain cells. In contrast, the promoter and enhancer regions were found to be nucleosome-free in 15-day erythrocytes where the beta-globin gene is active. We argue that these results suggest a role for positioned nucleosomes in the regulation of the transcription of the chicken beta-globin gene.

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