title: DNase I-defined chromatin configuration of the human CD3 gene cluster.
abstract: The three CD3 genes on human chromosome 11q23 encode proteins (gamma, delta and epsilon) which form part of the antigen receptor on T lymphocytes. All three genes are clustered within 50 kb and are activated approximately contemporaneously during the early stages of T cell ontogeny. In order to pinpoint potential regulatory sequences important for locus activation and tissue-specific gene expression, the chromatin structure of almost 90 kb of this region has been probed in five cell lines using the endonuclease pancreatic DNase I. A set of DNase I hypersensitive (HS) sites has been defined in T cell chromatin, five of which were strong and not found in non-T cells, with the exception of the erythroleukaemia cell line K562, in which three sites were weakly expressed, correlating with a low level of delta mRNA. The subset of five HS sites map close to the CD3 genes and lie in regions which contain elements of defined function: the gamma promoter; the delta promoter and its 3' enhancer; and the epsilon promoter and its 3' enhancer. Since no further major T cell-restricted HS sites lie within the 90kb of the CD3 locus analysed, these five regions may contain all the sequences important for CD3 gene expression.
authors: Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tunnacliffe
mesh_terms: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics*; D017252:CD3 Complex; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003360:Cosmids; D015342:DNA Probes; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D004915:Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute; D005810:Multigene Family; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D017252:CD3 Complex; D002843:Chromatin; D015342:DNA Probes; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I