GSE110683
Temporal auto-regulation during PU.1 locus SubTAD formation (4C-seq)
Epigenetic control of gene expression occurs through discrete spatial chromosomal units called topologically associating domains (TADs), but the exact spatial requirements of most genes are unknown; this is of particular interest for genes involved in disease. We therefore applied high-resolution chromosomal conformation capture-sequencing to map the three-dimensional (3D) organization of the locus encoding the key myeloid transcription factor PU.1 in healthy monocytes and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. We identified a dynamic ~75kb unit (SubTAD) as the genomic region in which spatial interactions between PU.1 gene regulatory elements occur during myeloid differentiation and are interrupted in AML. Within this SubTAD, initiating the spatial chromosomal interactions requires PU.1 auto-regulation and recruitment of the chromatin-adaptor protein LDB1 (LIM domain-binding protein 1). However, once formed, this SubTAD remains stable even when auto-regulation is impaired. Thus, our data support that PU.1 auto-regulation functions in a 'hit-and-run' manner, whereby it organizes chromosomal loops to create a transcriptionally active chromatin architecture. Overall design: Study of 5 different cell types.