Content area
Full Text
Chromosome Research (2009) 17:201214
DOI 10.1007/s10577-008-9017-7
How cohesin and CTCF cooperate in regulating gene expression
Kerstin S. Wendt & Jan-Michael Peters
Published online: 20 March 2009# Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009
Abstract Cohesin is a DNA-binding protein complex that is essential for sister chromatid cohesion and facilitates the repair of damaged DNA. In addition, cohesin has important roles in regulating gene expression, but the molecular mechanisms of this function are poorly understood. Recent experiments have revealed that cohesin binds to the same sites in mammalian genomes as the zinc finger transcription factor CTCF. At a few loci CTCF has been shown to function as an enhancer-blocking transcriptional insulator, and recent observations indicate that this function depends on cohesin. Here we review what is known about the roles of cohesin and CTCF in regulating gene expression in mammalian cells, and we discuss how cohesin might mediate the insulator function of CTCF.
Keywords insulator. chromatin . transcription . cohesin . CTCF
AbbreviationsATP adenosin-5-triphosphateCdLS Cornelia de Lange Syndrome ChIP chromatin immunoprecipitation
cHS4 5HS4 chicken -globin insulator CTCF zinc finger transcription factorEcR-B1 ecdysone receptor B1ICR imprinting control region, also called differentially methylated region or domain (DMR/DMD)
KSHV Karposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus LCR locus control regionncRNA non-coding RNAPEV position-effect-variegationqPCR quantitative polymerase chain reaction RBS/SC Roberts/SC Phocomelia Syndrome RNAi RNA interferenceTEV tobacco etch virus protease
The cohesin complex and its role in sister chromatid cohesion
Cohesin is a protein complex that is essential for cohesion between sister chromatids (reviewed in Peters et al. 2008). Cohesion is required for the biorientation of chromosomes on the mitotic and meiotic spindle. If cohesion is not established properly, sister chromatids can be separated before chromosomes have become attached to both spindle poles. In many species and cell types, this situation causes prolonged activation of a surveillance mechanism, called the spindle checkpoint, which delays chromosome segregation and mitotic exit in the presence of chromosomes that have not been
Responsible Editor: Christian Haering.
K. S. Wendt : J.-M. Peters (*)
Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Dr. Bohr-Gasse 7,A-1030 Vienna, Austriae-mail: [email protected]
202 K.S. Wendt, J.-M. Peters
properly attached to the spindle. Sister chromatid cohesion mediated by cohesin is therefore essential for normal cell proliferation. Cohesin also has important roles in the repair of DNA...