A non-methylated CpG-rich island associated with the human muscle-specific carbonic anhydrase III gene

A cluster of CpG dinucleotides immediately upstream from exon 1 in the muscle-specific carbonic anhydrase III gene (CAIII) resembles the 'HpaII tiny fragment' (HTF) islands characteristic of mammalian 'housekeeping' genes. Since this CAIII gene shows tissue-specific expression we have carried out a detailed examination of methylation status within the CpG cluster using a polyacrylamide gel/electroblot procedure to extend the range of conventional Southern blotting. None of the clustered CpGs are methylated in DNA from muscle or other somatic tissues or in DNA from spermatozoa although flanking CpGs are methylated. Comparison with a candidate HTF island from the more ubiquitously expressed carbonic anhydrase II gene (CAII) shows that the CAII CpG cluster is markedly more CpG-rich than that from the strictly tissue-specific CAIII gene.