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Interacting insulators from the Drosophila melanogaster bithorax complex can form independent expression domains

  • Molecular Genetics
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Abstract

Regulatory region of three bithorax complex genes, Ultrabithorax (Ubx), abdominal-A (abd-A), and Abdominal-B (Abd-B) can be divided into nine iab domains, capable of directing expression of one of the genes in certain abdominal parasegment of Drosophila. In the Abd-B regulatory region, three insulators were identified, including Fab-7 and Fab-8, which flanked the iab-7 domain, and Mcp, which separated the Abd-B and abd-A regulatory regions. It was suggested that boundary insulators formed a barrier between active and repressed chromatin. In the present study, using the yellow and white reporter genes and different combinations of known insulators, Mcp, Fab-7, and Fab-8, it was demonstrated that only specific interaction of two insulators was capable of isolation of active and repressed chromatin, i.e., the formation of independent expression domains.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia

    O. V. Kyrchanova, T. A. Ivlieva & P. G. Georgiev

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  1. O. V. Kyrchanova
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  2. T. A. Ivlieva
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  3. P. G. Georgiev
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Correspondence to O. V. Kyrchanova.

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Original Russian Text © O.V. Kyrchanova, T.A. Ivlieva, P.G. Georgiev, 2011, published in Genetika, 2011, Vol. 47, No.12, pp. 1586–1595.

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Kyrchanova, O.V., Ivlieva, T.A. & Georgiev, P.G. Interacting insulators from the Drosophila melanogaster bithorax complex can form independent expression domains. Russ J Genet 47, 1406–1414 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795411120076

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795411120076

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