title: Identification of long-range regulatory elements in the protocadherin-alpha gene cluster.
abstract: The clustered protocadherins (Pcdh) are encoded by three closely linked gene clusters (Pcdh-alpha, -beta, and -gamma) that span nearly 1 million base pairs of DNA. The Pcdh-alpha gene cluster encodes a family of 14 distinct cadherin-like cell surface proteins that are expressed in neurons and are present at synaptic junctions. Individual Pcdh-alpha mRNAs are assembled from one of 14 "variable" (V) exons and three "constant" exons in a process that involves both differential promoter activation and alternative pre-mRNA splicing. In individual neurons, only one (and rarely two) of the Pcdh alpha1-12 promoters is independently and randomly activated on each chromosome. Thus, in most cells, this unusual form of monoallelic expression leads to the expression of two different Pcdh-alpha 1-12 V exons, one from each chromosome. The two remaining V exons in the cluster (Pcdh-alphaC1 and alphaC2) are expressed biallelically in every neuron. The mechanisms that underlie promoter choice and monoallelic expression in the Pcdh-alpha gene cluster are not understood. Here we report the identification of two long-range cis-regulatory elements in the Pcdh-alpha gene cluster, HS5-1 and HS7. We show that HS5-1 is required for maximal levels of expression from the Pcdh alpha1-12 and alphaC1 promoters, but not the Pcdh-alphaC2 promoter. The nearly cluster-wide requirement of the HS5-1 element is consistent with the possibility that the monoallelic expression of Pcdh-alpha V exons is a consequence of competition between individual V exon promoters for the two regulatory elements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ribich
authors.forename: Bosiljka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tasic
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maniatis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I