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An Efficient Strategy for Generating Tissue-specific Binary Transcription Systems in Drosophila by Genome Editing

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Published on: September 19, 2018

Transcriptional Readthrough Interrupts Boundary Function in Drosophila.

Olga Kyrchanova^1,2, Vladimir Sokolov¹, Maxim Tikhonov²

¹Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., Moscow 119334, Russia.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

|July 29, 2023

Summary

Readthrough transcription (RT) can disrupt chromatin boundary function, impacting gene regulation. This study investigated how RT affects boundary activity in the Drosophila bithorax complex, revealing a potential widespread mechanism for controlling gene expression.

Keywords:

Abd-B Fab-7 Fub bithorax complex chromatin boundary insulator lncRNA scs transcription

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Area of Science:

* Molecular Biology
* Genetics
* Epigenetics

Background:

* Chromatin insulators/boundaries are crucial for organizing enhancer-promoter interactions in higher eukaryotes.
* Mechanisms regulating boundary function remain largely unknown.
* The Drosophila bithorax complex (BX-C) serves as a model for studying boundary function.

Purpose of the Study:

* To investigate whether readthrough transcription (RT) impacts chromatin boundary function.
* To explore a potential mechanism for regulating boundary activity and gene expression.

Main Methods:

* Utilized Drosophila BX-C boundary replacement platforms (Fab-7 and F2).
* Deleted and replaced native boundaries with an attP site.
* Introduced boundary elements, promoters, and polyadenylation signals in various combinations to assay boundary function.

Main Results:

* Demonstrated that readthrough transcription can interfere with boundary activity.
* Showed that RT can alter the function of the Fab-7 and F2 boundaries in the BX-C.

Conclusions:

* Readthrough transcription is a potential mechanism for regulating chromatin boundary function.
* RT may be a widely used strategy to modulate gene expression in multicellular eukaryotes, given the prevalence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs).