Cold spots in hot spots: transcription start sites of active genes are spared from HIV vector integration.
Recent studies on HIV integration in the human genome have reported on certain preferences for chromosomes, genes, or repetitive elements. We performed a high-resolution meta-analysis of public available HIV vector insertion sites (n = 46 114) and detected that HIV vectors significantly spared a region of 1 kb upstream and downstream to transcription start sites (TSS). Genes with the TSS being located within this 'insertional gap' had significantly lower expression levels than those with the TSS located outside the gap. Our data show an either unfavored and/or sterically inaccessible region located + or - 1 kb around TSS of transcriptionally active genes.
Clinical Cooperation Unit Molecular Oncology of Solid Tumors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Germany.
Frank A
FA
Giordano
Jens Uwe
JU
Appelt
Manuela
M
Zucknick
Mohammed
M
Abba
W Jens
WJ
Zeller
Stefan
S
Fruehauf
Heike
H
Allgayer
Stephanie
S
Laufs
D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D016662:Virus Integration / Q000235:genetics*