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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Lentiviral-mediated Knockdown During Ex Vivo Erythropoiesis of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Published on: July 16, 2011
Non-coding transcripts far upstream of the epsilon-globin gene are distinctly expressed in human primary tissues and
Ping Xiang1, Xiangdong Fang, Wenxuan Yin
1Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Abstract:
Non-coding exons of epsilon-globin mRNA originating within the 236 kb upstream region of the epsilon-globin gene were identified in human primary tissues and K562 cells. One predominant type of upstream epsilon mRNA, which originated in the -76 kb region 5' to the epsilon gene, was present in human primary tissues, whereas 11 other isoforms were identified in K562 cells. Fragment from the -76 kb region possessed promoter activity and a prominent DNase I hypersensitive site was formed in the region approximately 2 kb 5' to the -76 kb promoter in human fetal liver, but not in K562 cells. The promoter activity in the -236 kb region resided in a retrotransposon in K562 cells. A DNase I hypersensitive site was formed at the -236 kb promoter in K562 cells, but not in human fetal liver. We discussed these results in the context of intergenic transcription and chromatin opening in the beta-globin gene cluster.
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