How Lefty Genes are Regulated by Different Enhancers in Mouse Stem Cells
Author Information
Author(s): Taylor Tiegh, Zhu Hongyu Vicky, Moorthy Sakthi D., Khader Nawrah, Mitchell Jennifer A.
Primary Institution: University of Toronto
Hypothesis
How does gene-enhancer specificity arise within topologically associated domains (TAD)?
Conclusion
The Lefty genes are regulated by separate enhancer elements, and their expression is influenced by the distance between them.
Supporting Evidence
- The Lefty genes are located within the same TAD but are regulated by separate enhancers.
- CRISPR-Cas9 deletions revealed a distance-dependent effect of the Lefty2 enhancer on Lefty1 expression.
- Despite being physically close, the Lefty genes maintain independent expression patterns.
Takeaway
Scientists found that two genes, Lefty1 and Lefty2, are controlled by different parts of DNA called enhancers, even though they are close together in the genome. This means that the distance between them can change how much of each gene is turned on.
Methodology
The study used CRISPR-Cas9 to perform allele-specific genome editing and RNA quantification to identify regulatory elements.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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