Conservation of Histone H2a-H2b Intergene Regions a Role for the H2b Specific Element in Divergent Transcription

Sturm, R. A., Dalton, S., Wells, J. R. E. (September 1988) Conservation of Histone H2a-H2b Intergene Regions a Role for the H2b Specific Element in Divergent Transcription. Nucleic Acids Research, 16 (17). pp. 8571-8586. ISSN 0305-1048

Abstract

The organization and function of potential regulatory elements associated with the promoters of chicken H2A and H2B genes pairs have been examined. The intergene regions of six dispersed and divergently-transcribed H2A/H2B gene pairs contain several extremely well conserved and spaced blocks of sequence homology. Adjacent coding regions are on average 342 base-pairs apart. Respective TATA boxes are separated by 180 base-pairs and within this confined region there are four CCAAT boxes and a previously identified 13 base-pair H2B-specific element (H2B-box) which has homology to the octamer motif present in a number of gene promoter/enhancer elements. Transcription of H2A and H2B genes from wild-type and mutant constructs was measured in transient assays by transfection into HeLa cells, and in permanently transformed clonal cell lines. In vitro separation of the two genes at a unique intergenic site significantly decreased transcription of each gene. This suggested that the H2A/H2B gene pairs contained overlapping promoters. Deletion or point mutagenesis of the H2B-specific element decreased the levels of H2B and the H2A transcripts indicating that this sequence is a common regulatory element of both genes in the divergent-pair configeration.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > transcription
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > genes, structure and function
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > histone
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs
Depositing User: Gail Sherman
Date: 12 September 1988
Date Deposited: 14 Sep 2017 20:03
Last Modified: 14 Sep 2017 20:03
PMCID: PMC338577
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/35218

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