Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes

11 Regulation
of Gene Expression
in Eukaryotes
Key Questions
• What are the molecular
mechanisms of gene regulation
in eukaryotes?
• How do eukaryotes generate
many different patterns of gene
expression with a limited number
of regulatory proteins?
• What role does chromatin play in
eukaryotic gene regulation?
• What are epigenetic marks and
how do they influence gene
expression?
The MSL complex enhances gene expression on the X chromosome. The MSL complex
(indicated by orange coloring) binds only to the X chromosome in male Drosophila. This image
is an indirect immunofluorescence staining of a chromosomal spread from a salivary gland of
a male larva exposed to MSL1 antiserum. [From J. Lucchesi, W. Kelly, and B. Panning, “Chromatin
Remodeling in Dosage Compensation,” Annu. Rev. Genet. 39, 2005, 615–651.]
Outline
11.1 Transcriptional regulation in
he cloning of Dolly, a sheep, was reported worldwide in 1996. Dolly developed
T from adult somatic nuclei that had been implanted into enucleated eggs (eggs
with the nuclei removed). More recently, cows, pigs, mice, and other mammals
eukaryotes: an overview
11.2 Lessons from yeast: the GAL
have been cloned as well with the use of similar technology (Figure 11-1). The suc- system
cessful cloning of Dolly was a great surprise to the scientific community because
11.3 Dynamic chromatin and
the cloning of mammals from somatic cells was thought to be impossible. A reason
eukaryotic gene regulation
for the initial skepticism was that the formation of male and female gametes
(sperm and egg cells) was known to include sex-specific modifications to the 11.4 Enhancers: cooperative
respective genomes that resulted in sex-specific patterns of gene expression. As interactions, combinatorial
such, Dolly is symbolic of how far we have progressed in understanding aspects of control, and chromatin
eukaryotic gene regulation such as the global control of gene expression exempli- remodeling
fied by gamete development. However, for every successful clone, including Dolly,
11.5 Genomic imprinting
there are many more, perhaps hundreds of embryos that fail to develop into viable
progeny. The extremely high failure rate underscores how much remains to be 11.6 Chromatin domains and their
deciphered about eukaryotic gene regulation. inheritance
385
386 Chapter 11 • Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes
The first cloned mammal In this chapter, we will examine gene regulation in
eukaryotes. In many ways, our look at gene regulation will be
a study of contrasts. In bacteria, you learned how the activi-
ties of genetic switches were often governed by single activa-
tor or repressor proteins and how the control of sets of genes
was achieved by their organization into operons or by the
activity of specific ␴ factors (see Chapter 10). Initial expecta-
tions were that eukaryotic gene expression would be regu-
lated by similar means. In eukaryotes, however, most genes
are not found in operons. Furthermore, we will see that the
proteins and DNA sequences participating in eukaryotic gene
regulation are more numerous. Often, many DNA-binding
proteins act on a single switch, with many separate switches
per gene, and the regulatory sequences of these switches are
often located far from promoters. A key additional difference
between bacteria and eukaryotes is that the access to eukary-
otic gene promoters is restricted by chromatin. Gene regula-
tion in eukaryotes requires the activity of large protein com-
FIGURE 11-1 The first cloned mammal plexes that promote or restrict access to gene promoters by RNA polymerase. This
was a sheep named Dolly. [PHOTOTAKE/ chapter will provide an essential foundation for understanding the spatiotemporal
Alamy.] regulation of gene expression that choreographs the process of development
described in Chapter 12.
11.1 Transcriptional Regulation

in Eukaryotes: An Overview
The biological properties of each eukaryotic cell type are largely determined by the
proteins expressed within it. This constellation of expressed proteins determines
much of the cell’s architecture, its enzymatic activities, its interactions with its
environment, and many other physiological properties. However, at any given time
in a cell’s life history, only a fraction of the RNAs and proteins encoded in its
genome are expressed. At different times, the profile of expressed gene products
can differ dramatically, both in regard to which proteins are expressed and at what
levels. How are these specific profiles generated?
As one might expect, if the final product is a protein, regulation could be
achieved by controlling the transcription of DNA into RNA or the translation of
RNA into protein. In fact, gene regulation takes place at many levels, including
at the mRNA level (through alterations in splicing or the stability of the mRNA)
and after translation (by modifications of proteins). However, most regulation is
thought to take place at the level of gene transcription; so, in this chapter, the pri-
mary focus is on the regulation of transcription. The basic mechanism at work is
that molecular signals from outside or inside the cell lead to the binding of regula-
tory proteins to specific DNA sites outside of protein-encoding regions, and the
binding of these proteins modulates the rate of transcription. These proteins may
directly or indirectly assist RNA polymerase in binding to its transcription initia-
tion site—the promoter—or they may repress transcription by preventing the bind-
ing of RNA polymerase.
Although bacteria and eukaryotes have much of the logic of gene regulation in
common, there are some fundamental differences in the underlying mechanisms
and machinery. Both use sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins to modulate the
level of transcription. However, eukaryotic genomes are bigger and their range of
properties is larger than those of bacteria. Inevitably their regulation is more com-
plex, requiring more types of regulatory proteins and more types of interactions
with the adjacent regulatory regions in DNA. The most important difference is
11.1 Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes: An Overview 387
Overview of transcriptional regulation FIGURE 11-2 In bacteria, RNA

polymerase can usually begin
transcription unless a repressor
BACTERIAL EUKARYOTIC protein blocks it. In eukaryotes,
however, the packaging of DNA
Activator with nucleosomes prevents
protein
transcription unless other
regulatory proteins are present.
These regulatory proteins
expose promoter sequences by
RNA pol
altering nucleosome density or
TATA position. They may also recruit
Promoter Operator Coding RNA polymerase II more directly
region through binding.
Ground state: on Ground state: off
Transcription Enhancer
factors
Repressor
protein
RNA pol II
TATA
Repressed state: off Active state: on
that eukaryotic DNA is packaged into nucleosomes, forming chromatin, whereas

bacterial DNA lacks nucleosomes. In eukaryotes, chromatin structure is dynamic
and is an essential ingredient in gene regulation.
In general, the ground state of a bacterial gene is “on.” Thus, RNA polymerase
can usually bind to a promoter when no other regulatory proteins are around to
bind to the DNA. In bacteria, transcription initiation is prevented or reduced if the
binding of RNA polymerase is blocked, usually through the binding of a repressor
regulatory protein. Activator regulatory proteins increase the binding of RNA
polymerase to promoters where a little help is needed. In contrast, the ground
state in eukaryotes is “off.” Therefore, the transcriptional machinery (including
RNA polymerase II and associated general transcription factors) cannot bind to
the promoter in the absence of other regulatory proteins (Figure 11-2). In many
cases, the binding of the transcriptional apparatus is not possible, owing to the
position of nucleosomes near the promoter. Thus, chromatin structure usually has
to be changed to activate eukaryotic transcription. The structure of chromatin
around activated or repressed genes within cells can be quite stable and inherited
by daughter cells. The inheritance of chromatin structure is a form of inheritance
that does not directly entail DNA sequence.
The unique features of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation are the focus of

the rest of this chapter. Some differences from transcriptional regulation in bacte-
ria were already noted in Chapter 8:
1. In bacteria, all genes are transcribed into RNA by the same RNA
polymerase, whereas three RNA polymerases function in eukaryotes. RNA
polymerase II, which transcribes mRNAs, was the focus of Chapter 8 and
will be the only polymerase discussed in this chapter.
2. RNA transcripts are extensively processed during transcription in
eukaryotes; the 5⬘ and 3⬘ ends are modified and introns are spliced out.
3. RNA polymerase II is much larger and more complex than its bacterial
counterpart. One reason for the added complexity is that RNA polymerase II
must synthesize RNA and coordinate the special processing events unique
to eukaryotes.
Multicellular eukaryotes may have as many as 25,000 genes, severalfold more

than the average bacterium. Moreover, patterns of eukaryotic gene expression can
be extraordinarily complex. That is, there is great variation among genes in when a
gene is on (transcribed) or off (not transcribed) and in how much transcript needs
to be made. For example, one gene may be transcribed only during early develop-
ment and another only in the presence of a viral infection. Finally, the majority of
the genes in a eukaryotic cell are off at any one time. On the basis of these consid-
erations alone, eukaryotic gene regulation must be able to
1. ensure that the expression of most genes in the genome is off at any one
time while activating a subset of genes; and
2. generate thousands of patterns of gene expression.
As you will see later in the chapter, mechanisms have evolved to ensure that
most of the genes in a eukaryotic cell are not transcribed. Before considering how
genes are kept transcriptionally inactive, we will focus on the second point: How
are eukaryotic genes able to exhibit an enormous number and diversity of expres-
sion patterns? The machinery required for generating so many patterns of gene
transcription in vivo has many components, including both regulatory proteins
and cis-acting regulatory sequences. The first set of proteins comprises the large
RNA polymerase II complex and the general transcription factors that you learned
about in Chapter 8. To initiate transcription, these proteins interact with DNA
sequences called promoter-proximal elements near the promoter of a gene. The
second group of protein components consists of specific transcription factors that
bind to cis-acting regulatory sequences in the DNA called enhancers or upstream
activating sequences (UAS’s). These regulatory sequences may be located a
considerable distance from gene promoters. Generally speaking, promoters and
promoter-proximal elements are bound by transcription factors that affect the
expression of many genes. Enhancers are the targets of more specific transcription
factors that control the regulation of smaller subsets of genes. Often, an enhancer
will act in only one or a few cell types in a multicellular eukaryote.
For RNA polymerase II to transcribe DNA into RNA at
Promoter-proximal elements precede a maximum rate, multiple cis-acting regulatory elements
the promoter of a eukaryotic gene must play a part. The promoters, promoter-proximal ele-
ments, and enhancers are all targets for binding by different
GC-rich
box mRNA
trans-acting DNA binding proteins. Figure 11-3 is a schematic
GGGCGG CCAAT TATA representation of the promoter and promoter-proximal se-
– 200 bp – 100 bp quence elements. The binding of RNA polymerase II to the
– 30 bp promoter does not produce efficient transcription by itself.
Promoter-proximal Promoter Transcription requires the binding of general transcription
elements factors to additional promoter-proximal elements that are
commonly found within 100 bp of the transcription initiation
FIGURE 11-3 The region upstream of site of many (but not all) genes. One of these elements is the CCAAT box, and often
the transcription start site in higher another is a GC-rich segment farther upstream. The general transcription factors
eukaryotes contains promoter-proximal that bind to the promoter-proximal elements are expressed in most cells, and so
elements and the promoter. they are available to initiate transcription at any time. Mutations in these sites can
11.1 Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes: An Overview 389
Promoter-proximal elements are necessary for efficient transcription

3.5
Relative transcription level
3.0
1.0
GCCACACCC GGCCAATC ATATAA
FIGURE 11-4 Point mutations in the promoter and promoter-proximal elements hinder
transcription of the β-globin gene. Point mutations throughout the promoter region were
analyzed for their effects on transcription rates. The height of each line represents the
transcription level relative to a wild-type promoter or promoter-proximal element (1.0).
Only the base substitutions that lie within the three elements shown change the level of
transcription. Positions with black dots were not tested. [From T. Maniatis, S. Goodbourn, and
J. A. Fischer, “Regulation of Inducible and Tissue-Specific Gene Expression,” Science 236, 1987, 1237.]
have a dramatic effect on transcription, demonstrating how important they are. An

example of the consequences on transcription rates of mutating these sequence
elements is shown in Figure 11-4.
To modulate transcription, regulatory proteins possess one or more of the fol-
lowing functional domains:
1. A domain that recognizes a DNA regulatory sequence (the protein’s

DNA-binding site)
2. A domain that interacts with one or more proteins of the transcriptional
apparatus (RNA polymerase or a protein associated with RNA polymerase)
3. A domain that interacts with proteins bound to nearby regulatory
sequences on DNA such that they can act cooperatively to regulate
transcription
4. A domain that influences chromatin condensation either directly or
indirectly
5. A domain that acts as a sensor of physiological conditions within the cell
Much of the strategy of eukaryotic transcriptional control hinges on how spe-

cific transcription factors control the access of general transcription factors and
RNA polymerase II. Eukaryotic gene regulatory mechanisms have been discovered
through both biochemical and genetic approaches. The latter has been advanced
in particular by studies of the single-celled yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (see the
Model Organism box). Several decades of research have been a source of many
insights into general principles of how eukaryotic transcriptional regulatory pro-
teins work and how different cell types are generated. We’ll examine two yeast
gene regulatory systems in detail: the first concerns the galactose-utilization path-
way; the second is the control of mating type.
Model Organism Yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or budding yeast, has emerged ␣
Fusion
a
in recent years as the premier eukaryotic genetic system.
Humans have grown yeast for centuries because it is an (n) (n)
(2n)
essential component of beer, bread, and wine. Yeast has a /a
many features that make it an ideal model organism. As a Mitosis
unicellular eukaryote, it can be grown on agar plates and,
with a life cycle of just 90 minutes, large quantities can be +
cultured in liquid media. It has a very compact genome a /a
a /a (2n)
with only about 12 megabase pairs of DNA (compared Ascus Meiosis (2n)
with almost 3000 megabase pairs for humans) containing ( n) ␣ a (n)
approximately 6000 genes that are distributed on 16 chro- (n ) ␣ a (n)
mosomes. It was the first eukaryote to have its genome
sequenced.
Mitosis Mitosis
The yeast life cycle makes it very versatile for labora-
tory studies. Cells can be grown as either diploid or hap-
loid. In both cases, the mother cell produces a bud contain-
(n ) ␣ (n) a
ing an identical daughter cell. Diploid cells either continue
to grow by budding or are induced to undergo meiosis,
which produces four haploid spores held together in an Culture Culture
ascus (also called a tetrad). Haploid spores of opposite mat- colony colony
ing type (a or `) will fuse and form a diploid. Spores of the The life cycle of baker’s yeast. The nuclear alleles MATa and MATa
same mating type will continue growth by budding. determine mating type.
Yeast has been called the E. coli of eukaryotes because

of the ease of forward and reverse mutant analysis. To
isolate mutants by using a forward genetic approach, hap-
loid cells are mutagenized (with X rays, for example) and
screened on plates for mutant phenotypes. This procedure
is usually done by first plating cells on a rich medium on
which all cells grow and by copying, or replica plating, the
colonies from this master plate onto replica plates contain-
ing selective media or special growth conditions. (See also
Chapter 15.) For example, temperature-sensitive mutants
will grow on the master plate at the permissive tempera-
ture but not on a replica plate at a restrictive temperature.
Comparison of the colonies on the master and replica
plates will reveal the temperature-sensitive mutants. Using
reverse genetics, scientists can also replace any yeast gene
(of known or unknown function) with a mutant version
Electron micrograph of budding yeast cells. [SciMAT/Photo (synthesized in a test tube) to understand the nature of the
Researchers.] gene product.
11.2 Lessons from Yeast: The GAL System

To make use of extracellular galactose, yeast imports the sugar and converts it into
a form of glucose that can be metabolized. Several genes—GAL1, GAL2, GAL7, and
GAL10—in the yeast genome encode enzymes that catalyze steps in the biochemi-
cal pathway that converts galactose into glucose (Figure 11-5). Three additional
genes—GAL3, GAL4, and GAL80—encode proteins that regulate the expression of
the enzyme genes. Just as in the lac system, the abundance of the sugar determines
11.2 Lesson from Yeast: The GAL System 391
the level of gene expression in the biochemical pathway. In yeast cells growing in The Gal pathway
media lacking galactose, the GAL genes are largely silent. But, in the presence of
galactose (and the absence of glucose), the GAL genes are induced. Just as for the Galactose (extracellular)
lac operon, genetic and molecular analyses of mutants have been key to under-
Gal2
standing how the expression of the genes in the galactose pathway is controlled.
The key regulator of GAL gene expression is the Gal4 protein, a sequence-
Galactose (intracellular)
specific DNA-binding protein. Gal4 is perhaps the best-studied transcriptional reg-
ulatory protein in eukaryotes. The detailed dissection of its regulation and activ- Gal1
ity has been a source of several key insights into the control of transcription in
eukaryotes. Galactose-1-phosphate
Gal7
Gal4 regulates multiple genes through upstream activating
sequences UDP-galactose
In the presence of galactose, the GAL1, GAL2, GAL7, and GAL10 genes are induced Gal10
1000-fold or more. In GAL4 mutants, however, they remain silent. Each of these
four genes has two or more Gal4-binding sites located 5⬘ (upstream) of its pro- UDP-glucose
moter. Consider the GAL10 and GAL1 genes, which are adjacent to each other and Gal7
transcribed in opposite directions. Between the GAL1 transcription start site and
the GAL10 transcription start site is a single 118-bp region that contains four Gal4- Glucose-1-phosphate
binding sites (Figure 11-6). Each Gal4-binding site is 17 base pairs long and is
bound by one Gal4 protein dimer. There are two Gal4-binding sites upstream of
the GAL2 gene as well, and another two upstream of the GAL7 gene. These bind-
Glycosis
ing sites are required for gene activation in vivo. If they are deleted, the genes are
silent, even in the presence of galactose. These regulatory sequences are enhancers
that are also referred to as upstream activating sequences. The presence of en- FIGURE 11-5 Galactose is converted
hancers located at a considerable linear distance from a eukaryotic gene’s pro- into glucose-1-phosphate in a series of
moter is typical. steps. These steps are catalyzed by
enzymes (Gal1, and so forth) encoded by
the structural genes GAL1, GAL2, GAL7,
Message The binding of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins to regions and GAL10.
outside the promoters of target genes is a common feature of eukaryotic transcriptional
regulation.
Transcriptional activator proteins bind to UAS elements in yeast
Gal4
Chr II 5′ GAL7 GAL10 GAL1 3′ Chr XII 5′ GAL2 3′

UAS UAS
UAS
FIGURE 11-6 The Gal4 protein activates target genes through upstream-activating-sequence
(UAS) elements. The Gal4 protein has two functional domains: a DNA-binding domain (red
square) and an activation domain (orange oval). The protein binds to specific sequences
upstream of the promoters of Gal-pathway genes. Some of the GAL genes are adjacent (GAL1,
GAL10), whereas others are on different chromosomes. The GAL1 UAS element contains four
Gal4-binding sites.
The Gal4 protein has separable DNA-binding

and activation domains
After Gal4 is bound to the UAS element, how is gene expression induced? A dis-
tinct domain of the Gal4 protein, the activation domain, is required for regula-
tory activity. Thus, the Gal4 protein has at least two domains: one for DNA binding
and another for activating transcription. A similar modular organization has been
found to be a common feature of other DNA-binding transcription factors as well.
The modular organization of the Gal4 protein was demon-
strated in a series of simple, elegant experiments. The strategy was
Transcriptional activator to test the DNA binding and gene activation of mutant forms of the
proteins are modular protein in which parts had been either deleted or fused to other
proteins. In this manner, whether a part of the protein was neces-
(a) The complete Gal4 dimer sary for a particular function could be determined. To carry out
these studies, experimenters needed a simple means of assaying
Activation
the expression of the enzymes encoded by the GAL genes. The
domain
Gal4 expression of GAL genes and other targets of transcription factors
DNA-binding is typically monitored by using a reporter gene whose expression
domain lacZ
is easily tracked. Often, the reporter gene is the lacZ gene of E. coli,
ON
Gal4 site which can act on substrates whose products are easily measured by
their bright color or fluourescence. Another common reporter
gene is the gene that encodes the green fluorescent protein of jelly-
(b) Gal4 lacking the activation domain fish, which, as its name suggests, is easily tracked by the light that it
emits. The coding region of one of these reporter genes and a pro-
lacZ
moter are placed downstream of a UAS element from a GAL gene.
OFF Reporter expression is then a read-out of Gal4 activity in cells.
Gal4 site When a form of the Gal4 protein lacking the activation domain
is expressed in yeast, the binding sites of the UAS element are occu-
pied, but no transcription is stimulated (Figure 11-7). The same is
(c) LexA lacking the activation domain true when other regulatory proteins lacking activation domains,
DNA-binding
such as the bacterial repressor LexA, are expressed in cells bearing
domain lacZ reporter genes with their respective binding sites. The more inter-
OFF esting result is obtained when a form of the Gal4 protein lacking
LexA site the DNA-binding domain is grafted to the LexA DNA-binding
domain; the hybrid protein now activates transcription from LexA-
binding sites (Figure 11-7). Further “domain swap” experiments
(d) Gal4–LexA hybrid have revealed that the transcriptional activation function of the
Gal4 activation Gal4 protein resides in two small domains about 50 to 100 amino
domain acids in length. These domains are separable from those used in
LexA the dimerization of the protein, DNA binding, and interaction
DNA-binding with the Gal80 protein (see next). The activation domain helps
domain lacZ
recruit the transcriptional machinery to the promoter, as we will
ON
LexA site
see in Section 11.3. This highly modular arrangement of activity-
regulating domains is found in many transcription factors.
FIGURE 11-7 Transcriptional activator
proteins have multiple, separable domains.
(a) The Gal4 protein has two domains and Message Many eukaryotic transcriptional regulatory proteins are modular proteins,
forms a dimer. (b) The experimental removal with separable domains for DNA binding, activation or repression, and interaction with
of the activation domain shows that DNA other proteins.
binding is not sufficient for gene activation.
(c) Similarly, the bacterial LexA protein cannot
activate transcription on its own, but, when Gal4 activity is physiologically regulated
fused to the Gal4 activation domain (d), it can
activate transcription through LexA-binding
How does Gal4 become active in the presence of galactose? Key clues came from
sites. [After J. Watson et al., Molecular Biology of analyses of mutations in the GAL80 and GAL3 genes. In GAL80 mutants, the GAL
the Gene, Fifth Edition, copyright © 2004, structural genes are active even in the absence of galactose. This result suggests
Benjamin Cummings.] that the normal function of the Gal80 protein is to somehow inhibit GAL gene
11.2 Lesson from Yeast: The GAL System 393
expression. Conversely, in GAL3 mutants, the GAL structural genes are Transcriptional activator proteins
not active in the presence of galactose, suggesting that Gal3 normally may be activated by an inducer
promotes expression of the GAL genes.
Extensive biochemical analyses have revealed that the Gal80 pro- Gal80
tein binds to the Gal4 protein with high affinity and directly inhibits
Inactive
Gal4 activity. Specifically, Gal80 binds to a region within one of the Gal4
Gal4 activation domains, blocking its ability to promote the transcrip-
tion of target genes. The role of the Gal3 protein is to release Gal4 from GAL1
OFF
its inhibition by Gal80 in the presence of galactose. Gal3 is a sensor and
UAS
inducer. When Gal3 binds galactose and ATP, it undergoes an allosteric
change that promotes binding to Gal80, which in turn causes Gal80 to + Galactose
release Gal4, which is then able to activate transcription of its target + Gal3
genes. Thus, Gal3, Gal80, and Gal4 are all part of a switch whose state is
determined by the presence or absence of galactose (Figure 11-8). In
this switch, DNA binding by the transcriptional regulator is not the
physiologically regulated step (as is the case in the lac operon and bac-
Active
teriophage ␭); rather, the activity of the activation domain is regulated. Gal4
GAL1
Message The activity of eukaryotic transcriptional regulatory proteins ON
is often controlled by interactions with other proteins. UAS
FIGURE 11-8 Gal4 activity is regulated

Gal4 functions in most eukaryotes by the Gal80 protein. (Top) In the absence
of galactose, the Gal4 protein is inactive,
In addition to its action in yeast cells, Gal4 has been shown to be able to activate even though it can bind to sites upstream
transcription in insect cells, human cells, and many other eukaryotic species. This of the GAL1 target gene. Gal4 activity is
versatility suggests that biochemical machinery and mechanisms of gene activation suppressed by the binding of the Gal80
are common to a broad array of eukaryotes and that features revealed in yeast are protein. (Bottom) In the presence of
generally present in other eukaryotes, and vice versa. Furthermore, because of their galactose and the Gal3 protein, Gal80
versatility, Gal4 and its UAS elements have become favored tools in genetic analysis undergoes a conformational change and
releases the Gal4 activation domain,
for manipulating gene expression and function in a wide variety of model systems.
permitting target gene transcription.
Message The ability of Gal4, as well as other eukaryotic regulators, to function in a

variety of eukaryotes indicates that eukaryotes generally have the transcriptional
regulatory machinery and mechanisms in common.
Now we look at how activators and other regulatory proteins interact with the
transcriptional machinery to control gene expression.
Activators recruit the transcriptional machinery

In bacteria, activators commonly stimulate transcription by interacting directly
with DNA and with RNA polymerase. In eukaryotes, activators generally work in-
directly to recruit RNA polymerase II to gene promoters through two major mech-
anisms. First, activators can interact with subunits of the protein complexes having
roles in transcription initiation. Second, activators can recruit proteins that modify
chromatin structure, allowing RNA polymerase II and other proteins access to the
DNA. Many activators, including Gal4, have both activities. We’ll examine the
recruitment of parts of the transcriptional initiation complex first.
Recall from Chapter 8 that the eukaryotic transcriptional machinery contains
many proteins that are parts of various subcomplexes within the transcriptional
apparatus that is assembled on gene promoters. One subcomplex, transcription fac-
tor IID (TFIID), binds to the TATA box of eukaryotic promoters through the TATA-
binding protein (TBP; see Figure 8-12). Gal4 binds to TBP at a site in its activation
Transcriptional activator proteins domain, and, through this binding, it recruits the TFIID com-
recruit the transcriptional machinery plex and, in turn, RNA polymerase II to the promoter (Figure
11-9). The affinity of this interaction correlates well with
UAS Gal4’s potency as an activator. Gal4 also interacts with the
large Mediator complex, which directly interacts with RNA
Gal4 polymerase II to recruit it to gene promoters. The Mediator
complex is an example of a coactivator, a term applied to a
protein or protein complex that facilitates gene activation by
Mediator
a transcription factor but that itself is neither part of the tran-
scriptional machinery nor a DNA-binding protein.
TFIID
The ability of activators to bind to upstream DNA
RNA polymerase II
sequences and to interact with proteins that bind directly or
TBP
indirectly to promoters helps to explain how transcription
can be stimulated from more distant regulatory sequences
(see Figure 11-9).
TATA GAL genes
Message Eukaryotic transcriptional activators often work
by recruiting parts of the transcriptional machinery to gene
FIGURE 11-9 Gal4 recruits the promoters.
transcriptional machinery. The Gal4
protein, and many other transcriptional
activators, binds to multiple protein
complexes, including the TFIID and
11.3 Dynamic Chromatin and
Mediator complexes, that recruit RNA Eukaryotic Gene Regulation
polymerase II to gene promoters. The
interactions facilitate gene activation A second mechanism for influencing gene transcription in eukaryotes modifies the
through binding sites that are distant from local chromatin structure around gene regulatory sequences. To fully understand
gene promoters. [After J. Watson et al.,
Molecular Biology of the Gene, Fifth Edition,
how this mechanism works, we need to first review chromatin structure and then
copyright © 2004, Benjamin Cummings.] consider how it can change and how these changes affect gene expression.
The recruitment of transcriptional machinery by activators may appear to be
somewhat similar in eukaryotes and bacteria, with the major difference being in
the number of interacting proteins in the transcriptional machinery. Indeed, less
than a decade ago, many biologists pictured eukaryotic regulation simply as a bio-
chemically more complicated version of what had been discovered in bacteria.
However, this view has changed dramatically as biologists have considered the
effect of the organization of genomic DNA in eukaryotes.
Compared with eukaryotic DNA, bacterial DNA is relatively “naked,” making
it readily accessible to RNA polymerase. In contrast, eukaryotic chromosomes are
packaged into chromatin, which is composed of DNA and proteins (mostly his-
tones). As mentioned briefly in Chapter 2, the basic unit of chromatin is the nucle-
osome, containing about 150 bp of DNA wrapped twice around a histone octamer
(Figure 11-10). The histone octamer is composed of two subunits of each of the
four histones: histone 2A, 2B, 3, and 4. Nucleosomes can associate into higher-
order structures that further condense the DNA. The packaging of eukaryotic
DNA into chromatin means that much of the DNA is not readily accessible to reg-
ulatory proteins and the transcriptional apparatus. Thus, whereas prokaryotic
genes are generally accessible and “on” unless repressed, eukaryotic genes are inac-
cessible and “off” unless activated. Therefore, the modification of chromatin struc-
ture is a distinctive feature of eukaryotic gene regulation.
One can imagine several ways to alter chromatin structure. For example, one
mechanism might be to simply move the histone octamer along the DNA. In the
1980s, biochemical techniques were developed that allowed researchers to deter-
mine the position of nucleosomes in and around specific genes. In these studies,
chromatin was isolated from tissues or cells in which a gene was on and compared
with chromatin from tissue where the same gene was off. The result for most genes
analyzed was that nucleosome positions changed, especially in a gene’s regulatory
regions. Thus, which DNA regions are wrapped up in nucleosomes can change:
11.3 Dynamic Chromatin and Eukaryotic Gene Regulation 395
The structure of chromatin

(a) (b)
Short region of
2 nm
DNA double helix
Nucleosomes:
the basic unit 11 nm
of chromatin
Chromatin fiber
of packed 30 nm
nucleosomes
FIGURE 11-10 (a) The nucleosome in decondensed and condensed chromatin.

(b) Chromatin structure varies along the length of a chromosome. The least-condensed
chromatin (euchromatin) is shown in yellow, regions of intermediate condensation are in
orange and blue, and heterochromatin coated with special proteins (purple) is in red.
[(b) From P. J. Horn and C. L. Peterson, “Chromatin Higher Order Folding: Wrapping Up Transcription,”
Science 297, 2002, 1827, Fig. 3. Copyright 2002, AAAS.]
Chromatin remodeling
exposes regulatory
nucleosome positions can shift on the DNA from cell to cell and over the life cycle sequences
of an organism. Transcription might be repressed when the promoter and flanking
sequences are wound up in a nucleosome and inaccessible to RNA polymerase II.
Activation of transcription would thus require the blocking nucleosome to be reor-
ganized by nudging the histones or removing them entirely. Conversely, when gene
repression is necessary, histone octamers may shift into a position that prevents
transcription. The changing of nucleosome position is referred to as chromatin
remodeling. Now, chromatin remodeling is known to be an integral part of
eukaryotic gene expression, and great advances are being made in determining the
underlying mechanism(s) and the regulatory proteins taking part. Here, again,
genetic studies in yeast have been pivotal.
Nucleosome
Chromatin-remodeling proteins and gene activation remodeling
Two genetic screens in yeast for mutants in seemingly unrelated processes led to the
discovery of the same gene whose product plays a key role in chromatin remodel-
ing. In both cases, yeast cells were treated with agents that would cause mutations.
In one screen, these mutagenized yeast cells were screened for cells that could not
grow well on sucrose (sugar nonfermenting mutants, snf). In another screen, muta-
genized yeast cells were screened for mutants that were defective in switching their
mating type (switch mutants, swi; see Section 11.4). Many mutants for different loci
were recovered in each screen, but one mutant gene was found to cause both phe-
notypes. Mutants at the so-called swi2/snf2 locus (“switch–sniff”) could neither uti-
lize sucrose effectively nor switch mating type. FIGURE 11-11 The histone octamer
What was the connection between the ability to utilize sugar and the ability slides in response to chromatin-
to switch mating types? The Snf2–Swi2 protein was purified and discovered to be remodeling activity (such as that of the
part of a large, multisubunit complex called the SWI–SNF complex that can repo- SWI–SNF complex), in this case
exposing the DNA marked in red. (See
sition nucleosomes in a test-tube assay if ATP is provided as an energy source
Figure 11-15 for details on how
(Figure 11-11). In some situations, the multisubunit SWI–SNF complex activates SWI–SNF is recruited to a particular
transcription by moving nucleosomes that are covering the TATA sequences and, DNA region). [After J. Watson et al.,
in this way, facilitates the binding of RNA polymerase II. The SWI–SNF complex is Molecular Biology of the Gene, Fifth Edition,
thus a coactivator. copyright © 2004, Benjamin Cummings.]
Gal4 also binds to the SWI–SNF complex and recruits the chromatin-remodeling
complex to activated promoters. Yeast strains containing a defective SWI–SNF
complex show a reduced level of Gal4 activity. Why might an activator use multiple
activation mechanisms? There are at least two reasons understood at present. The
first is that the accessibility of target promoters may change at different stages of
the cell cycle or in different cell types (in multicellular eukaryotes). For example,
during mitosis, when chromatin is more condensed, genes are less accessible. At
that stage, Gal4 must recruit the chromatin-remodeling complexes, whereas, at
other times, such recruitment might not be required to activate gene expression.
A second reason is that many transcription factors act in combinations to con-
trol gene expression synergistically. We will see shortly that this combinatorial
synergy is a result of the fact that chromatin-remodeling complexes and the tran-
scriptional machinery are recruited more efficiently when multiple transcription
factors act together.
Message Chromatin can be dynamic; nucleosomes are not necessarily in fixed

positions on the chromosome. Chromatin remodeling changes nucleosome density or
position and is an integral part of eukaryotic gene regulation.
Modified histone tails protrude Histones and chromatin remodeling

from the nucleosome Let’s look at the nucleosome more closely to see if any
Acetylation H4 part of this structure could carry the information neces-
sary to influence nucleosome position or nucleosome
Methylation H2A density or both.
A histone code As already stated, most nucleosomes are

composed of an octamer made up of two copies each of
H3 the four core histones. Histones are known to be the most
conserved proteins in nature; that is, histones are almost
identical in all eukaryotic organisms from yeast to plants
to animals. This conservation contributed to the view that
histones could not take part in anything more compli-
cated than the packaging of DNA to fit in the nucleus.
However, recall that DNA with its four bases also was con-
sidered too “dumb” a molecule to carry the blueprint for
all organisms on Earth.
Figure 11-12 shows a model of nucleosome structure
that represents contributions from many studies. Of note
H2A is that the histone proteins are organized into the core
octamer with their amino-terminal ends protruding from
H3 the nucleosome. These protruding ends are called histone
tails. Since the early 1960s, specific lysine residues in the
histone tails have been known to be able to be covalently
modified by the attachment of acetyl and methyl groups.
H2B
These reactions take place after the histone protein has
been translated and even after the histone has been incor-
H4 porated into a nucleosome.
There are now known to be at least 150 different his-
FIGURE 11-12 Nucleosome structure tone modifications that require a wide variety of molecules in addition to the
showing seven of the eight histones and acetyl and methyl groups already mentioned (for example, phosphorylation and
most but not all of their tails. The sites of ubiquitylation).
posttranslational modifications such as
acetylation and methylation are shown
for one histone tail. In fact, all the tails Histone acetylation, deacetylation, and gene expression The acetylation reac-
contain such sites. tion is the best-characterized histone modification:
11.3 Dynamic Chromatin and Eukaryotic Gene Regulation 397
O O
Acetyl group
NH3⫹ ⫹ CoA C C
S CH3 N CH3
Amino group at end H
of lysine side chain Acetyl CoA
Note that the reaction is reversible, which means that acetyl groups can be
added and removed from the same histone residue. With 44 histone lysine residues
available to accept acetyl groups, the presence or absence of these groups can carry
a tremendous amount of information. For this reason, the covalent modification of
histone tails is said to be a histone code. Scientists coined the expression histone
code because the covalent modification of histone tails is reminiscent of the genetic
code. For the histone code, information is stored in the patterns of histone modifi-
cation rather than in the sequence of nucleotides. With more than 150 known his-
tone modifications, there are a huge number of possible patterns and their effects
on chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation are just beginning to be deci-
phered. To add to this complexity, the code is likely not interpreted in precisely the
same way in all organisms. For now, let’s see how the acetylation of histone amino
acids influences chromatin structure and gene expression.
Evidence had been accumulating for years that the histones associated with the
nucleosomes of active genes are rich in acetyl groups (said to be hyperacetylated),
whereas inactive genes are underacetylated (hypoacetylated). The enzyme re-
sponsible for adding acetyl groups, histone acetyltransferase (HAT), proved very
difficult to isolate. When it was finally isolated and its protein sequence deduced, it
was found to be an ortholog of a yeast transcriptional activator called GCN5 (mean-
ing that it was encoded by the same gene in a different organism). Thus, the con-
clusion was that GCN5 is a histone acetyltransferase. It binds to the DNA in the reg-
ulatory regions of some genes and activates transcription by acetylating nearby
histones. Various protein complexes that are recruited by transcriptional activators
are now understood to possess a HAT activity.
How does histone acetylation facilitate changes in gene expression? There
appear to be at least two mechanisms for doing so. First, the addition of acetyl
groups to specific histone residues can alter the interaction in a nucleosome
between the DNA and a histone octamer so that the octamer is
more likely to slide along the DNA to a new position. Second, Histone deacetylation can turn
histone acetylation, in conjunction with other histone modifica- off gene transcription
tions, influences the binding of regulatory proteins to the DNA.
Gal4
The bound regulatory protein may take part in one of several
functions that either directly or indirectly increase the fre- Tup1
quency of transcription initiation. Mig1
GAL1
Like other histone modifications, acetylation is reversible,
OFF
and histone deacetylases (HDAT’s) also have been identified. UAS Mig1
Such proteins play key roles in gene repression. For example, in site
the presence of galactose and glucose, the activation of GAL
genes is prevented by the Mig1 protein. Mig1 is a sequence-specific DNA-binding FIGURE 11-13 Recruitment of a
repressor that binds to a site between the UAS element and the promoter of the repressing complex leads to repression
GAL1 gene (Figure 11-13). Mig1 recruits a protein complex called Tup1 that con- of transcription. In the presence of
glucose, GAL1 transcription is repressed
tains a histone deacetylase and that represses gene transcription. The Tup1 com-
by the Mig1 protein, which binds to a
plex is an example of a corepressor, which faciliates gene repression but is not site between the UAS and the promoter
itself a DNA-binding repressor. The Tup1 complex is also recruited by other yeast of the GAL1 gene. Mig1 recruits the Tup1
repressors, such as MATα2 (see page 400), and counterparts of this complex are repressing complex, which recruits a
found in all eukaryotes. histone deacetylase, turning gene
transcription off. [After J. Watson et al.,
Molecular Biology of the Gene, Fifth Edition,
Message In most cases examined, histone acetylation and deacetylation promote
copyright © 2004, Benjamin Cummings.]
and repress gene transcription, respectively. These activities are recruited to genes by
sequence-specific activators and repressors.
11.4 Mechanism of Enhancer Action

The development of a complex organism requires that transcription levels be regu-
lated over a wide range. Think of a regulation mechanism as more like a rheostat
than an on-or-off switch. In eukaryotes, transcription levels are made finely
adjustable by the clustering of binding sites into enhancers. Several different tran-
scription factors or several molecules of the same transcription factor may bind to
adjacent sites. The binding of these factors to sites that are
Enhanceosomes help recruit the correct distance apart leads to an amplified, or super-
the transcriptional machinery additive, effect on activating transcription. When an effect
is greater than additive, it is said to be synergistic.
The binding of multiple regulatory proteins to the
multiple binding sites in an enhancer can catalyze the for-
mation of an enhanceosome, a large protein complex that
DNA- acts synergistically to activate transcription. In Figure 11-14,
bending you can see how architectural proteins bend the DNA to
proteins promote cooperative interactions between the other DNA-
CBP
binding proteins. In this mode of enhanceosome action,
transcription is activated to very high levels only when all
RNA pol II the proteins are present and touching one another in just
the right way.
To better understand what an enhanceosome is and
how it acts synergistically, let’s look at a specific example.
FIGURE 11-14 The β-interferon
enhanceosome. In this case, the The a-interferon enhanceosome
transcription factors recruit a The human β-interferon gene, which encodes the antiviral protein interferon, is
coactivator (CBP), which binds both to one of the best-characterized genes in eukaryotes. It is normally switched off but
the transcription factors and to RNA
polymerase II, initiating transcription.
is activated to very high levels of transcription on viral infection. The key to the
[After A. J. Courey, “Cooperativity in activation of this gene is the assembly of transcription factors into an enhanceo-
Transcriptional Control,” Curr. Biol. 7, 2001, some about 100 bp upstream of the TATA box and transcription start site. The
R250–R253, Fig. 1.] regulatory proteins of the β-interferon enhanceosome all bind to the same face of
the DNA double helix. Binding to the other side of the helix are several architec-
tural proteins that bend the DNA and allow the different regulatory proteins to
touch one another and form an activated complex. When all of the regulatory
proteins are bound and interacting correctly, they form a “landing pad,” a high-
affinity binding site for the protein CBP, a coactivator protein that also recruits
the transcriptional machinery. The large CBP protein also contains an intrinsic
histone acetylase activity that modifies nucleosomes and facilitates high levels of
transcription.
Although the β-interferon promoter is shown without nucleosomes in Figure
11-14, the enhanceosome is actually surrounded by two nucleosomes, called nuc 1
and nuc 2 in Figure 11-15. One of them, nuc 2, is strategically positioned over the
TATA box and transcription start site. However, the binding of GCN5, another coac-
tivator, is now known to actually precede CBP binding. GCN5 acetylates the two
nucleosomes. After acetylation, the activating transcription factors recruit the coac-
tivator CBP, the RNA pol II holoenzyme, and the SWI–SNF chromatin-remodeling
complex. SWI–SNF is then positioned to nudge the nucleosome 37 bp off the TATA
box, making the TATA box accessible to the TATA-binding protein and allowing
transcription to be initiated.
Cooperative interactions help to explain several perplexing observations about
enhancers. For example, they explain why mutating any one transcription factor or
binding site dramatically reduces enhancer activity. They also explain why the dis-
tance between binding sites within the enhancer is such a critical feature. Further-
more, enhancers do not have to be close to the start site of transcription, as is the
11.4 Enhancers: Cooperative Interactions, Combinatorial Control, and Chromatin Remodeling 399
example shown in Figure 11-15. One characteristic of en- Enhanceosomes recruit chromatin remodelers
hancers is that they can activate transcription when they are
located at great distances from the promoter (>50 kb), either
upstream or downstream from a gene or even in an intron.
Enhanceosome
Message Eukaryotic enhancers can act at great distances to

modulate the activity of the transcriptional apparatus.
Enhancers contain binding sites for many transcription factors, nuc 1 nuc 2
which bind and interact cooperatively. These interactions result
The enhanceosome forms
in a variety of responses, including the recruitment of GCN5 a binding site for GCN5, which
additional coactivators and the remodeling of chromatin. binds and adds acetyl
groups to nuc 1, 2.
The control of yeast mating type:

GCN5
Combinatorial interactions complex
Thus far, we have focused in this chapter on the regulation
of single genes or a few genes in one pathway. In multicellu-
lar organisms, distinct cell types differ in the expression of
hundreds of genes. The expression or repression of sets of
genes must therefore be coordinated in the making of par- The coactivator CBP binds,
ticular cell types. One of the best-understood examples of GCN5 recruiting RNA pol II.
cell-type regulation in eukaryotes is the regulation of mat-
ing type in yeast. This regulatory system has been dissected
by an elegant combination of genetics, molecular biology, SWI– + CBP
SNF SWI–SNF nudges aside nuc 2.
and biochemistry. Mating type serves as an excellent model
for understanding the logic of gene regulation in multicellu-
lar animals. RNA pol II
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can exist in any of
three different cell types known as a, `, and a/` (see Chap- CBP
SWI–
ter 2). The two cell types a and ` are haploid and contain SNF
only one copy of each chromosome. Although the two hap-
loid cell types cannot be distinguished by their appearance
in the microscope, they can be differentiated by a number of The TATA-binding protein (TBP)
specific cellular characteristics, principally their mating type binds to the newly exposed TATA
(see the Model Organism box on page 390). An ` cell mates box, allowing transcription to begin.
only with an a cell and secretes an oligopeptide pheromone,
or sex hormone, called ` factor that arrests a cells in the cell RNA pol II
cycle. A cell of the a type mates only with an ` cell and
secretes a pheromone, called a factor, that arrests ` cells. CBP
The diploid a/` cell does not mate, is larger than the ` and TBP
a cells, and does not respond to the mating hormones.
Genetic analysis of mutants defective in mating has
shown that cell type is controlled by a single genetic locus,
the mating-type locus, MAT. There are two alleles of the FIGURE 11-15 The β-interferon
MAT locus: haploid a cells have the MATa allele, haploid ` cells have the MATa enhanceosome acts to move
allele, and the a/` diploid has both alleles. Although mating type is under genetic nucleosomes by recruiting the SWI–SNF
control, certain strains switch their mating type, sometimes as frequently as every complex.
cell division. We will examine the basis of switching later in this chapter, but, first,
let’s see how each cell type expresses the right set of genes.
DNA-binding proteins combinatorially regulate the expression

of cell-type-specific genes
How does the MAT locus control cell type? Genetic analyses of mutants that can-
not mate have identified a number of structural genes that are separate from the
MAT locus, but their protein products are required for mating. One group of struc-
tural genes is expressed only in the ` cell type (`-specific genes), and another set is
expressed only in the a cell type (a-specific genes). The different alleles of the
MAT locus encode different regulatory proteins that control which of these sets of
structural genes is expressed in each cell type. In addition, a regulatory protein not
encoded by the MAT locus, called MCM1, plays a key role in regulating cell type.
The simplest case is the a cell type (Figure 11-16a). The MATa locus encodes a
single regulatory protein, a1. However, this regulatory protein has no effect in hap-
loid cells, only in diploid cells. In a haploid a cell, the regulatory protein MCM1
turns on the expression of the structural genes needed by an a cell, by binding to
regulatory sequences within a-specific gene promoters.
Combinations of regulatory proteins control cell types
MAT locus
a1 a1
α2 α1 α2 α1
Expressed
a1 α2 a1
regulatory
proteins α1 α2
MCM1 MCM1 MCM1
α2 α2 α2 α2
a-specific
ON OFF OFF
genes
MCM1 MCM1 MCM1
α1
α-specific
OFF ON OFF
genes
MCM1
a1 α2
Haploid-specific
ON ON OFF
genes
(a) a cell (b) α cell (c) a/α cell
FIGURE 11-16 Control of cell-type- In an ` cell, the `-specific structural genes must be transcribed, but, in addi-
specific gene expression in yeast. The tion, the MCM1 protein must be prevented from activating the a-specific genes.
three cell types of S. cerevisiae are The DNA sequence of the MATa allele encodes two proteins, α1 and α2, that are
determined by the regulatory proteins
produced by separate transcription units. These two proteins have different regula-
a1, α1, and α2, which regulate different
subsets of target genes. The MCM1 tory roles in the ` cell, as can be demonstrated by analyzing their DNA-binding
protein acts in all three cell types and properties in vitro (Figure 11-16b). The α1 protein binds in concert with the MCM1
interacts with α1 and α2. protein to a discrete DNA sequence controlling several `-specific genes. Thus, α1 is
an activator of `-specific gene expression. The α2 protein represses transcription of
the a-specific genes. It binds as a dimer, with MCM1, to sites in DNA sequences
located 5⬘ of a group of a-specific genes and acts as a repressor.
In a diploid yeast cell, all three regulatory proteins encoded by the MAT locus
are expressed (Figure 11-16c). What is the result? The a1 protein encoded by MATa
has a part to play at last. The a1 protein can bind to α2 and alter its binding speci-
ficity such that the a1–α2 complex does not bind to a-specific genes. Rather, the
a1–α2 complex binds to a different sequence found upstream of another set of
genes, called haploid specific, that are expressed in haploid cells but not diploid
cells. In diploid cells, then, α2 exists in two forms: (1) as an α2–MCM1 complex that
represses a-specific genes and (2) in a complex with a1 that represses haploid-spe-
11.4 Enhancers: Cooperative Interactions, Combinatorial Control, and Chromatin Remodeling 401
FIGURE 11-17 Enhancer-blocking

Enhancer-blocking insulators prevent enhancer activation
insulators prevent gene activation when
placed between an enhancer and a
× promoter. [After M. Gaszner and G. Felsenfeld,
“Insulators: Exploiting Transcriptional and
Epigenetic Mechanisms,” Nat. Rev. Genet. 7,
2006, 703–713.]
ON OFF
Promoter 2 Enhancer Enhancer- Promoter 1
blocking
insulator
cific genes. The different binding partners determine which specific DNA se-
quences are bound and which genes are regulated by each α2-containing complex.
The regulation of different sets of target genes by the association of the same tran-
scription factor with different binding partners plays a major role in the generation
of different patterns of gene expression in different cell types within multicellular
eukaryotes.
Message In yeast and in multicellular eukaryotes, cell-type-specific patterns of gene

expression are governed by combinations of interacting transcription factors.
Enhancer-blocking insulators
A regulatory element, such as an enhancer, that can act over tens of thousands of
base pairs could interfere with the regulation of nearby genes. To prevent such
promiscuous activation, regulatory elements called enhancer-blocking insulators
have evolved. When positioned between an enhancer and a promoter, enhancer-
blocking insulators prevent the enhancer from activating transcription at that pro-
moter. Such insulators have no effect on the activation of other promoters that are
not separated from their enhancers by the insulator (Figure 11-17). Several models
have been proposed to explain how an insulator could block enhancer activity only
when placed between an enhancer and a promoter. Many of the models, like the
one shown in Figure 11-18, propose that the DNA is organized into loops containing
Model for how enhancer-blocking insulators might work
Promoter 1 Promoter 2
ON
OFF
Enhancer
FIGURE 11-18 The proposal is that

enhancer-blocking insulators (EB) create
new loops that physically separate a
promoter from its enhancer (E).
[After M. Gaszner and G. Felsenfeld,
“Insulators: Exploiting Transcriptional and
Enhancer-blocking
Epigenetic Mechanisms,” Nat. Rev. Genet. 7,
insulator
2006, 703–713.]
active genes. According to this model, insulators act by moving a promoter into a
new loop, where it is shielded from the enhancer.
As you will see next, enhancer-blocking insulators are a fundamental compo-
nent of a phenomenon called genomic imprinting.
11.5 Genomic Imprinting

The phenomenon of genomic imprinting was discovered almost 20 years ago in
mammals. In genomic imprinting, certain autosomal genes have unusual inheri-
tance patterns. For example, an igf2 allele is expressed in a mouse only if it is
inherited from the mouse’s father—an example of maternal imprinting because
a copy of the gene derived from the mother is inactive. Conversely, a mouse H19
allele is expressed only if it is inherited from the mother; H19 is an example of
paternal imprinting because the paternal copy is inactive. The consequence of
parental imprinting is that imprinted genes are expressed as if there were only
one copy of the gene present in the cell even though there are two. Hence,
imprinting is an example of monoallelic inheritance. Importantly, no changes
are observed in the DNA sequences of imprinted genes; that is, the identical gene
can be active or inactive in the progeny, depending on whether it was inherited
from mom or dad.
If the DNA sequence of the gene does not correlate with activity, what does?
The answer is that that the DNA in the regulatory regions of imprinted genes is
methylated in a sex-specific manner in the development of gametes. DNA methyla-
tion usually results from the enzymatic addition of methyl groups to the carbon-5
position of a specific cytosine residue.
Methyl group
Genomic imprinting requires insulators NH2 NH2
C C CH3
乆 Maternal allele N3 4 4
5 C Methyltransferase N3 5C
C2 1
6C C2 1
6C
O N O N
CTCF
Cytosine
Igf2 H19 Both DNA methylation marks and histone modification

marks can be stably inheritable from one cell generation to
OFF >50 Kb ICR ON Enhancer
the next. We will see later in the chapter how such marks are
thought to be duplicated in the course of DNA replication.
For now, suffice it to say that such heritable alteration, in
么 Paternal allele which the DNA sequence itself is unchanged, is called epi-
genetic inheritance, and the alterations (including both
DNA methylation and histone modifications) are called epi-
genetic marks.
M M M M Let’s turn again to the mouse ifg2 and H19 genes to see
how imprinting works at the molecular level. These two
Igf2 H19
genes are located in a cluster of imprinted genes on mouse
ON >50 Kb ICR OFF Enhancer chromosome 7. There are an estimated 100 imprinted genes
in the mouse, and most are found in clusters comprising
FIGURE 11-19 Genomic imprinting in from 3 to 11 imprinted genes. (Humans have most of the same clustered imprinted
the mouse. The imprinting control genes as those in the mouse.) In all cases examined, there is a specific DNA methy-
region (ICR) is unmethylated in female lation pattern for each gene copy of an imprinted gene. For the ifg2–H19 cluster, a
gametes and can bind a CTCF dimer, specific region of DNA lying between the two genes (Figure 11-19) is methylated in
forming an insulator that blocks male germ cells and unmethylated in female germ cells. This region is called the
enhancer activation of Igf2. Methylation
imprinting control region (ICR). Only the unmethylated (female) ICR can bind a
(M) of the ICR in male germ cells
prevents CTCF binding, but it also regulatory protein called CTCF. When bound, CTCF acts as an enhancer-blocking
prevents the binding of other proteins insulator that prevents enhancer activation of Igf2 transcription. However, the
to the H19 promoter. enhancer in females can still activate H19 transcription. In males, CTCF cannot
11.5 Genomic Imprinting 403
bind to the ICR and the enhancer can activate Igf2 transcription (recall that Unusual inheritance
enhancers can act at great distances). The enhancer cannot activate H19, however, of imprinted genes
because the methylated region extends into the H19 promoter. The methylated
promoter cannot bind proteins needed for the transcription of H19. No mutations
Thus, we see how an enhancer-blocking insulator (in this case, CTCF bound to
part of the ICR) prevents the enhancer from activating a distant gene (in this case, 乆 A B
Igf2). Furthermore, we see that the CTCF-binding site is methylated only in chro-
M
mosomes derived from the male parent. The methylation of the CTCF-binding site
prevents CTCF binding in males and permits the enhancer to activate Igf2. 么 A B
Note that parental imprinting can greatly affect pedigree analysis. Because the ICR
inherited allele from one parent is inactive, a mutation in the allele inherited from
the other parent will appear to be dominant, whereas, in fact, the allele is ex-
pressed because only one of the two homologs is active for this gene. Figure 11-20
shows how a mutation in an imprinted gene can have different outcomes on the Mutation in imprinted gene
phenotype of the organism if inherited from the male or from the female parent.
Many steps are required for imprinting (Figure 11-21). Soon after fertiliza- 乆 A B
tion, mammals set aside cells that will become their germ cells. Imprints are M
removed or erased before the germ cells form. Without their distinguishing mark
of DNA methylation, these genes are now said to be epigenetically equivalent. As 么 A B
ICR
these primordial germ cells become fully formed gametes, imprinted genes re-
ceive the sex-specific mark that will determine whether the gene will be active or OUTCOME UNAFFECTED
silent after fertilization.
乆 A B
Steps required for imprinting
M
Male Female
么 A B
Homologous Two linked genes, ICR
chromosomes one active, one silent
OUTCOME AFFECTED
FIGURE 11-20 A mutation (represented by

an orange star) in gene A will have no effect
if inherited from the male. Abbreviations:
M, methylation; ICR, imprinting control
Igf2 H19 Igf2 H19 region. [After S. T. da Rocha and A. C. Ferguson-
Smith, “Genomic Imprinting,” Curr. Biol. 14, 2004,
R646–R649.]
Primordial
germ cells 1 Imprints
erased
Primordial
germ cells 2 Imprints
initiated
Gametes
Sperm 3 Propagation Oocyte

of imprints
Silent allele
Fertilization and
development
Active allele FIGURE 11-21 How Igf2 and H19 are
differentially imprinted in males and females.
But what about Dolly and other cloned mammals?

Genomic imprinting leads to what many thought would be a requirement for the
participation of male and female germ cells in mammalian embryo development.
That is, male and female gametes contain different subsets of imprinted genes so
that the embryo will have a full complement of active imprinted genes. Why then
are mammals such as Dolly and, more recently, cloned pigs, cats, dogs, and cows
that were derived from somatic nuclei able to survive and even flourish? After all,
as already noted, the mutation of even a single imprinted gene can be lethal or can
lead to serious disease.
At this point, scientists do not understand why the cloning of many mam-
malian species has been successful. However, despite these successes, cloning is
extremely inefficient in all species tested. For most experiments, a successful clone
is an exceedingly rare event, requiring hundreds, even thousands, of attempts. One
could argue that the failure of most cloned embryos to develop into viable organ-
isms is a testament to the importance of the epigenetic mechanisms of gene regu-
lation in eukaryotes. As such, it illustrates how knowledge of the complete DNA
sequence of all genes in an organism is only a first step in understanding how
eukaryotic genes are regulated.
11.6 Chromatin Domains

and Their Inheritance
Thus far, we have looked at how genes are activated in a chromatin environment.
However, as stated at the beginning of this chapter, most of the genes in eukaryotic
genomes are off at any one time. Let’s now turn to those vast regions of the
genome that are transcriptionally inactive. One of the most useful models for
understanding mechanisms that maintain the inactivity of genes concerns the con-
trol of yeast mating type and mating-type switching.
Mating-type switching and gene silencing

Haploid yeast cells are able to switch their mating type. Genetic analyses of certain
mutants that either could not switch or could not mate (they were sterile) were
sources of key insights into mating-type switching. Among the switch mutants
were several mutant loci including the HO gene and the HMRa and HML a genes.
Further study revealed that the HO gene encodes an endonuclease, an enzyme
that cleaves DNA, required for the initiation of switching. It was also found that
the HMRa and HML a loci contain “cassettes” of unexpressed genetic information
for the MATa and MATα mating types, respectively. The HMR and HML loci are
thus referred to as “silent” cassettes.
The HO endonuclease initiates the mating-type switch by inserting a double-
strand break at the MAT locus. The interconversion of mating type then takes
place by a type of recombination between the segment of DNA (a cassette) from
one of the two unexpressed loci and the MAT locus. The result is the replacement
of the old cassette at the MAT locus with a new cassette. The resulting mating type
is either the MATa or the MATα type, depending on which cassette is at the MAT
locus (Figure 11-22). The inserted cassette is actually copied from the HML or
HMR locus. In this manner, the switch is reversible because the information for the
a and a cassettes is always present at the HMR and HML loci and never lost.
Normally, the HMR and HML cassettes are “silent.” However, in SIR mutants
(silent information regulators), silencing is compromised such that both a and a
information is expressed. The resulting mutants are sterile. The Sir2, Sir3, and Sir4
proteins form a complex that plays a key role in gene silencing. Sir2 is a histone
deacetylase that facilitates the condensation of chromatin and helps lock up HMR
and HML in chromatin domains that are inaccessible to transcriptional activators.
11.6 Chromatin Domains and Their Inheritance 405
FIGURE 11-22 S. cerevisiae chromosome III

Mating-type switching is controlled
encodes three mating-type loci, but only the
by recombination of DNA cassettes genes at the MAT locus are expressed. HML
encodes a silent cassette of the ` genes, and
(a)
HMR encodes a silent cassette of the a genes.
HMLα MATa HMRa Copying of a silent cassette and insertion
Silent Active Silent through recombination at the MAT locus
switches mating type.
a mating type
(b) HMLα is copied into the MAT locus
HMLα MATα HMRa

Silent
a mating type
(c) HMRa is copied into the MAT locus
HMLα MATa HMRa

Silent
a mating type
Gene silencing is a very different process from gene repression; silencing is a posi-
tion effect that depends on the neighborhood in which genetic information is
located. You will learn more about position effects later, in the section on position-
effect variegation in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.
In summary, there are two distinct levels in the control of yeast mating type.
First, the regulation of a DNA rearrangement controls the array of regulatory
products synthesized within the cell. Second, the DNA-binding activities of these
regulatory proteins (a1, α1, and α2) control the batteries of structural genes
expressed within each cell type. These two levels form a hierarchy: the genes of the
first level control the activation of genes on the second level, which in turn control
the activation of the structural genes. These structural genes encode the proteins
having roles in the actual mating process and the biology of each cell type. As we
shall see in regard to animals in Chapter 12, the genetic control of developmental
processes is often hierarchical: networks of regulatory genes set up the cell- and
tissue-specific expression of proteins that mediate cell behavior and function.
Heterochromatin and euchromatin compared

Let’s return to the silent cassettes HML and HMR to understand why gene silencing
is a very different process from gene repression and what is meant by a genomic
neighborhood. To do so, it is important to note that chromatin is not uniform over
all chromosomes; certain domains of chromosomes are bundled in highly con-
densed chromatin called heterochromatin. Other domains are packaged in less-
condensed chromatin called euchromatin (see Figure 11-10b). Chromatin conden-
sation also changes in the course of the cell cycle. The chromatin of cells entering
mitosis becomes highly condensed as the chromosomes align in preparation for cell
division. After cell division, regions forming heterochromatin remain condensed
especially around the centromeres and telomeres (called constitutive heterochro-

matin), whereas the regions forming euchromatin become less condensed.
Geneticists first suspected a limited role for the influence of chromatin struc-
ture on gene regulation early in the history of genetics. At that time, they noticed
that heterochromatic DNA contained few genes, whereas euchromatin was rich
in genes. But what is heterochromatin if not genes? Most of the eukaryotic
genome is composed of repetitive sequences that do not make protein or struc-
tural RNA—sometimes called junk DNA (see Chapter 14). Thus, the densely
packed nucleosomes of heterochromatin were said to form a “closed” structure
that was inaccessible to regulatory proteins and inhospitable to gene activity. In
contrast, euchromatin, with its more widely spaced nucleosomes, was proposed to
assume an “open” structure that permitted transcription. The existence of open
and closed regions of chromatin was also suggested as a reason that recombination
frequencies are 100- to 1000-fold higher in euchromatin compared with hete-
rochromatin. Euchromatin, with its more open conformation, was hypothesized to
be more accessible to proteins needed for DNA recombination.
Message The chromatin of eukaryotes is not uniform. Highly condensed

heterochromatic regions have fewer genes and lower recombination frequencies than
do the less-condensed euchromatic regions.
Position-effect variegation in Drosophila reveals genomic

neighborhoods
The geneticist Hermann Muller first discovered an interesting genetic phenome-
non while studying Drosophila: there exist chromosomal neighborhoods that can
silence genes that are experimentally “relocated” to adjacent regions of the chro-
mosome. In these experiments, flies were irradiated with X rays to induce muta-
tions in their germ cells. The progeny of the irradiated flies were screened for
unusual phenotypes. A mutation in the white gene, near the tip of the X chromo-
some, will result in progeny with white eyes instead of the wild-type red color.
Some of the progeny had very unusual eyes with patches of white and red color.
Cytological examination revealed a chromosomal rearrangement in the mutant
flies: present in the X chromosome was an inversion of a piece of the chromosome
carrying the white gene (Figure 11-23). Inversions and other chromosomal rear-
rangements will be discussed in Chapter 16. In this rearrangement, the white gene,
which is normally located in a euchromatic region of the X chromosome, now
finds itself near the heterochromatic centromere. In some cells, the heterochro-
matin can “spread” to the neighboring euchromatin and silences the white gene.
Patches of white tissue in the eye are derived from the descendants of a single cell
in which the white gene has been epigenetically silenced and remains silenced
through future cell divisions. In contrast, the red patches arise from cells in which
heterochromatin has not spread to the white gene, and so this gene remains active
in all its descendants. The existence of red and white patches of cells in the eye of
a single organism dramatically illustrates two features of epigenetic silencing. First,
that the expression of a gene can be repressed by virtue of its position in the chro-
mosome rather than by a mutation in its DNA sequence. Second, that epigenetic
silencing can be inherited from one cell generation to the next.
Findings from subsequent studies in Drosophila and yeast demonstrated that
many active genes are silenced in this mosaic fashion when they are relocated to
neighborhoods (near centromeres or telomeres) that are heterochromatic. Thus,
the ability of heterochromatin to spread into euchromatin and silence genes is a
feature common to many organisms. This phenomenon has been called position-
effect variegation (PEV). It provides powerful evidence that chromatin structure
Gene silencing is caused by the spread of heterochromatin
Chromosome white+
white+ gene
Wild-type eye
expressed
Telomere Centromere
Inversion places white+

close to heterochromatin.
white+
white+ gene
Red facet
expressed
white+ Eye is a mixture

of red and white
white+ gene facets.
White facet
silent
Heterochromatin spreads
is able to regulate the expression of genes—in this case, determining whether genes FIGURE 11-23 Chromosomal
with identical DNA sequence will be active or silenced. rearrangement produces position-effect
variegation. Chromosomal inversion
places the wild-type white allele close to
Message Active genes that are relocated to genomic neighborhoods that are heterochromatin. The spread of
heterochromatic may be silenced if the heterochromatin spreads to the genes. heterochromatin silences the allele. Eye
facets are white instead of the wild-type
red wherever the allele has been silenced.
Genetic analysis of PEV reveals proteins necessary [After J. C. Eissenberg and S. Elgin,
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Nature
for heterochromatin formation
Publishing Group, 2001, p. 3, Fig. 1.]
To find out what proteins might be implicated in the establishment of heterochro-
matin, geneticists isolated mutations at a second chromosomal locus that either
suppressed or enhanced the variegated pattern (Figure 11-24). Suppressors of varie-
gation [called Su(var)] are genes that, when mutated, reduce the spread of hete-
rochromatin, meaning that the wild-type products of these genes are required for
spreading. In fact, the Su(var) alleles have proved to be a treasure trove for scientists
interested in the proteins that are required to establish and maintain the inactive,
heterochromatic state. Among more than 50 Drosophila gene products identified by
these screens was heterochromatin protein-1 (HP-1), which had previously been
found associated with the heterochromatic telomeres and centromeres. Thus, it
makes sense that a mutation in the gene encoding HP-1 will show up as a Su(var)
allele because the protein is required in some way to produce or maintain hete-
rochromatin. Another Su(var) gene was found to encode a methyltransferase that
FIGURE 11-24 Mutations were used to Some genes enhance or suppress

identify genes that suppress, Su(var), or
the spread of heterochromatin
enhance, E(var), position-effect variegation.
[After J. C. Eissenberg and S. Elgin, Encyclopedia Second-site
of Life Sciences. Nature Publishing Group, 2001, mutations that affect
p. 3, Fig. 1.] the spreading of
heterochromatin
Drosophila eye Spreading

(translocated white+) E(var) enhanced.
More white+
are silenced.
Spreading
suppressed.
Su(var) Fewer white+
are silenced.
adds methyl groups to a specific amino acid residue in the tail of histone H3
(called histone H3 methyltransferase or HMTase). One of the reactions catalyzed
by HMTase is shown here:
COO– COO– COO– COO–

+ C H + C H + C H + C H
H3N HMTase H3N HMTase H3N HMTase H3N
(CH2)4 (CH2)4 (CH2)4 (CH2)4
NH3 + N+ N+ N+
H3C H H3C CH3 H3C CH3
H H CH3
Lysine Monomethyl lysine Dimethyl lysine Trimethyl lysine
Proteins similar to HP-1 and HMTase have been isolated in diverse taxa, suggesting
the conservation of an important eukaryotic function.
We have seen that actively transcribed regions are associated with nucleo-
somes whose histone tails are hyperacetylated and that transcriptional activators
such as GCN5 encode a histone acetytransferase activity. As heretofore discussed,
acetyl marks can also be removed from histones by histone deacetylases. Similarly,
chromatin made up of nucleosomes that are methylated at lysine 9 of H3 (called
H3meK9) and bound up with HP-1 protein contain epigenetic marks that are asso-
ciated with heterochromatin. Scientists are now able to separate heterochromatin
and euchromatin and analyze differences in histone modifications and bound pro-
teins. The procedure used, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), is Heterochromatin may spread
described in Chapter 20. farther in some cells than in others
Figure 11-25 illustrates how, in the absence of any barriers, hete-
rochromatin might spread into adjoining regions in some cells but OFF
not in others and inactivate genes. It could be what is happening to
the white gene of Drosophila when it is translocated near the domain OFF
of heterochromatin associated with the chromosome ends. But can
the spread of heterochromatin be stopped? One can imagine that the OFF
spreading of heterochromatin into active gene regions could be disas-
trous for an organism because active genes would be silenced as they
ON
are converted into heterochromatin. To avert this potential disaster,
the genome contains DNA elements called barrier insulators that
prevent the spreading of heterochromatin by creating a local envi- OFF
ronment that is not favorable to heterochromatin formation. For
example, a barrier insulator could bind HATs and, in doing so, make OFF
sure that the adjacent histones are hyperacetlyated. A model for how
a barrier insulator might act to “protect” a region of euchromatin OFF
from being converted into heterochromatin is shown in Figure 11-26.
ON
Silencing an entire chromosome: X-chromosome
inactivation
The epigenetic phenomenon called X-chromosome inactivation has FIGURE 11-25 The spread of
intrigued scientists for decades. In Chapter 16, you will learn about the effects of heterochromatin into adjacent
gene copy number on the phenotype of an organism. For now, it is sufficient to euchromatin is variable. In four genetically
know that the number of transcripts produced by a gene is usually proportional to identical diploid cells, heterochromatin
the number of copies of that gene in a cell. Mammals, for example, are diploid and spread enough to knock out a gene in
have two copies of each gene located on their autosomes. For the vast majority of some chromosomes but not others.
Heterochromatin and euchromatin are
genes, both alleles are expressed. However, this is not possible for the sex chromo- represented by orange and green spheres,
somes. As discussed in Chapter 2, the number of the X and Y sex chromosomes dif- respectively. [After M. Gaszner and G.
fers between the sexes, with female mammals having two X chromosomes and Felsenfeld, “Insulators: Exploiting Transcriptional
males having only one. The mammalian X chromosome is thought to contain and Epigenetic Mechanisms,” Nat. Rev. Genet. 7,
about 1000 genes. Females have twice as many copies of these X-linked genes and 2006, 703–713.]
would otherwise express twice as much transcript from these genes as males do if
there were not a mechanism to correct this imbalance. (Not having a Y chromo-
some is not a problem for females, because the very few genes on this chromosome
are required only for the development of males.) This dosage imbalance is cor-
rected by a process called dosage compensation, which makes the amount of
most gene products from the two copies of the X chromosome in females equiva-
lent to the single dose of the X chromosome in males. In mammals, this equiva-
lency is accomplished by random inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in
each cell at an early stage in development. This inactive state is then propagated to
Barrier insulators stop the spread of heterochromatin
HP-1 HMTase
HAT
FIGURE 11-26 In this model, barrier
M M M M Ac Ac Ac Ac
insulators recruit enzymatic activities such
as histone acetyltransferase (HAT) that
promote euchromatin formation. The letter
“M” stands for methylation and the letters
Heterochromatin Euchromatin “Ac” for acetylation. [After M. Gaszner and
G. Felsenfeld, “Insulators: Exploiting
Barrier
Transcriptional and Epigenetic Mechanisms,”
insulator
Nat. Rev. Genet. 7, 2006, 703–713.]
Different mechanisms of all progeny cells. (In the germ line, the second X chromosome becomes reactivated
dosage compensation in oogenesis). The inactivated chromosome, called a Barr body, can be seen in the
nucleus as a darkly staining, highly condensed, heterochromatic structure.
Female Male Two aspects of X-chromosome inactivation are relevant to a discussion of
Hypertranscription (Drosophila) chromatin and the regulation of gene expression. First, most of the genes on the
inactivated X chromosome are silenced, and the chromosome has epigenetic
XX
1 + 1 =
X 2
Y
marks associated with heterochromatin including methylation of H3 at lysine 9
and hypermethylation of its DNA. Second, genes on the inactivated chromosome
remain inactive in all descendants of these cells. Because the DNA sequence itself
is unchanged, this heritable alteration is an example of epigenetic inheritance.
Interestingly, although diverse taxa exhibit dosage compensation, the compen-
X inactivation (mammals) sation mechanism can differ dramatically. For example, in fruit flies, the expres-
X 1
X
=
XY 1
sion of genes on the X chromosome is compensated not by inactivating one of the
two X’s in females, but instead, by doubling the expression of the genes on the one
X in the male (Figure 11-27). This mechanism is characterized by the binding of a
RNA–protein complex, called MSL, along the entire length of the X chromosome
in males (see illustration on page 385). One of the components of the MSL com-
Hypotranscription (C. elegans)
plex is a histone acetyltransferase. Recall that acetylated histones are a main fea-
X
1
2 +
X
1
2 =
X 1
No Y ture of active chromatin. Thus, the function of the MSL complex appears to be to
add acetyl groups to histones. MSL stands for male-specific lethal, and the complex
was so named because genetic screens for mutations lethal to males identified its
components.
FIGURE 11-27 Dosage compensation can
be achieved by doubling the expression of Message For most diploid organisms, both alleles of a gene are expressed
the male X chromosome (hypertranscription), independently. X inactivation and genomic imprinting are examples of monoallelic
by X inactivation, or by halving the expression. In these cases, epigenetic mechanisms silence one copy of an entire
expression of both female X chromosomes chromosome or of a single chromosomal locus, respectively.
(hypotranscription).
The inheritance of epigenetic marks and chromatin structure

Epigenetic inheritance can be defined operationally as the inheritance of chro-
matin states from one cell generation to the next. What this inheritance means is
that, in DNA replication, both the DNA sequence and the chromatin structure are
faithfully passed on to the next cell generation. However, unlike the sequence of
DNA, chromatin structure can change in the course of the cell cycle when, for
example, transcription factors modify the histone code, causing local changes in
nucleosome position or nucleosome density or both.
As mentioned in Chapter 7, the replisome not only copies the parental strands
but also disassembles the nucleosomes in the parental strands and reassembles
Inheritance of chromatin states
Nucleosome
FIGURE 11-28 In replication, Replication

old histones (purple) with their
histone codes are distributed
randomly to the daughter Newly synthesized
strands, where they direct the histones, no histone code
coding of adjacent newly
Histones with code
assembled histones (orange) to
form complete nucleosomes.
Summary 411
them in both the parental and the daughter strands. This process is accomplished
by the random distribution of the old histones from existing nucleosomes to
daughter strands and the delivery of new histones to the replisome. In this way, the
old histones with their modified tails and the new histones with unmodified tails
are assembled into nucleosomes that become associated with both daughter
strands. The code carried by the old histones most likely guides the modification of
the new histones (Figure 11-28).
The inheritance of DNA methylation is better understood. Semiconservative
replication generates daughter helices that are methylated on one of their two
strands (the parental strand). The unmethylated strands are methylated by DNA
methyltransferases that have a high affinity for these so-called hemimethylated
substrates and are guided by the methylation pattern on the parental strand (Fig-
ure 11-29). Thus, the information inherent in the histone code and the existing
DNA methylation patterns serve to reconstitute the local chromatin structure that
existed before DNA synthesis and mitosis.
A model for the inheritance of DNA methylation
DNA DNA FIGURE 11-29 After replication, the

replication methyltransferase hemimethylated dinucleotide CG (shown as CpG)
MCpG MCpG residues are fully methylated. The parental strands
GpC GpCM are black, and the daughter strand is red. The
MCpG
Methylated letter “M” represents the methyl group on the
GpCM
CpG MCpG C nucleotide. [After Y. H. Jiang, J. Bressler, and A. L.
GpCM GpCM Beaudet, “Epigenetics and Human Disease,” Annu. Rev.
Genomics Hum. Genet. 5, 2004, 479–510.]
Message Chromatin structure is inherited from cell generation to cell generation

because mechanisms exist to replicate the DNA along with the associated epigenetic
marks.
Summary
Many aspects of eukaryotic gene regulation resemble the reg- mote high levels of transcription through the recruitment of
ulation of bacterial operons. Both operate largely at the level RNA polymerase II to the transcription start site.
of transcription, and both rely on trans-acting proteins that Third, eukaryotic genes are packaged in chromatin.
bind to cis-acting regulatory target sequences on the DNA Gene activation and repression require specific modifica-
molecule. These regulatory proteins determine the level of tions to chromatin. The vast majority of the tens of thou-
transcription from a gene by controlling the binding of RNA sands of genes in a typical eukaryotic genome are turned off
polymerase to the gene’s promoter. at any one time. Genes are maintained in a transcription-
There are three major distinguishing features of the con- ally inactive state through the participation of nucleosomes,
trol of transcription in eukaryotes. First, eukaryotic genes pos- which serve to compact the chromatin and prevent the bind-
sess enhancers, which are cis-acting regulatory elements lo- ing of RNA polymerase II. The position of nucleosomes and
cated at sometimes great linear distances from the promoter. the extent of chromatin condensation are instructed by the
Many genes possess multiple enhancers. Second, these en- histone code, the pattern of posttranslational modifications
hancers are often bound by more transcription factors than of the histone tails. The histone code is an epigenetic mark
are bacterial operons. Multicellular eukaryotes must generate that, along with the methylation of cytosine bases, can be
thousands of patterns of gene expression with a limited num- altered by transcription factors. These factors bind to regula-
ber of regulatory proteins (transcription factors). They do so tory regions and recruit protein complexes that enzymati-
through combinatorial interactions among transcription fac- cally modify adjacent nucleosomes. These large multisubunit
tors. Enhanceosomes are complexes of regulatory proteins protein complexes use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to move
that interact in a cooperative and synergistic fashion to pro- nucleosomes and remodel chromatin.
The existence of epigenetic phenomena such as genetic genome by preventing the conversion of euchromatin into
imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation demonstrates heterochromatin.
that eukaryotic gene expression can be silenced without DNA replication faithfully copies both the DNA se-
changing the DNA sequence of the gene. Another epige- quence and the chromatin structure from parent to daugh-
netic phenomenon, position-effect variegation, revealed the ter cells. Newly formed cells inherit both genetic informa-
existence of repressive heterochromatic domains that are tion, inherent in the nucleotide sequence of DNA, and
associated with highly condensed nucleosomes and contain epigenetic information, which is in the histone code and
few genes. Barrier insulators maintain the integrity of the the pattern of DNA methylation.
Key Terms
activation domain (p. 392) epigenetic mark (p. 402) hypoacetylation (p. 397)
Barr body (p. 410) epigenetic silencing (p. 406) maternal imprinting (p. 402)
barrier insulator (p. 409) euchromatin (p. 405) Mediator complex (p. 394)
chromatin remodeling (p. 395) gene silencing (p. 405) monoallelic inheritance (p. 402)
coactivator (p. 394) genomic imprinting (p. 402) paternal imprinting (p. 402)
constitutive heterochromatin (p. 406) hemimethylation (p. 411) pheromone (p. 399)
corepressor (p. 397) heterochromatin (p. 405) position-effect variegation (PEV)
DNA methylation (p. 402) heterochromatin protein-1 (HP-1) (p. 406)
dosage compensation (p. 409) (p. 407) promoter-proximal element (p. 388)
enhanceosome (p. 398) histone code (p. 397) reporter gene (p. 392)
enhancer (p. 388) histone deacetylase (HDAT) (p. 397) synergistic effect (p. 398)
enhancer-blocking insulator (p. 401) histone tail (p. 396) upstream activating sequence (UAS)
epigenetic inheritance (p. 402) hyperacetylation (p. 397) (p. 388)
Problems
BASIC PROBLEMS
1. What analogies can you draw between transcriptional f. Deletion of the GAL1 promoter.
trans-acting factors that activate gene expression in g. Deletion of the GAL3 gene.
eukaryotes and the corresponding factors in bacteria?
Give an example. 4. How is the activation of the GAL1 gene prevented in
2. Contrast the states of genes in bacteria and eukaryotes the presence of galactose and glucose?
with respect to gene activation. 5. What are the roles of histone deacetylation and histone
3. Predict and explain the effect on GAL1 transcription, acetylation in gene regulation, respectively?
in the presence of galactose alone, of the following 6. An ` strain of yeast that cannot switch mating type is
mutations: isolated. What mutations might it carry that would
a. Deletion of one Gal4-binding site in the GAL1 UAS explain this phenotype?
element. 7. What genes are regulated by the α1 and α2 proteins in
b. Deletion of all four Gal4-binding sites in the GAL1 an ` cell?
UAS element. 8. What are Sir proteins? How do mutations in SIR genes
c. Deletion of the Mig1-binding site upstream of GAL1. affect the expression of mating-type cassettes?
d. Deletion of the Gal4 activation domain. 9. What is meant by the term epigenetic inheritance? What
e. Deletion of the GAL80 gene. are two examples of such inheritance?
Problems 413
10. What is an enhanceosome? Why could a mutation in 22. You receive four strains of yeast in the mail and the
any one of the enhanceosome proteins severely reduce accompanying instructions state that each strain con-
the transcription rate? tains a single copy of transgene A. You grow the four
11. Why are mutations in imprinted genes usually dominant? strains and determine that only three strains express the
protein product of transgene A. Further analysis reveals
12. What features distinguish an epigenetically silenced that transgene A is located at a different position in the
gene from a gene that is not expressed, owing to an yeast genome in each of the four strains. Provide an
alteration in its DNA sequence? hypothesis to explain this result.
13. What mechanisms are thought to be responsible for 23. In Neurospora, all mutants affecting the enzymes car-
the inheritance of epigenetic information? bamyl phosphate synthetase and aspartate transcar-
14. What is the fundamental difference in how bacterial bamylase map at the pyr-3 locus. If you induce pyr-3
and eukaryotic genes are regulated? mutations by ICR-170 (a chemical mutagen), you find
that either both enzyme functions are lacking or only
15. Why is it said that transcriptional regulation in eukary- the transcarbamylase function is lacking; in no case is
otes is characterized by combinatorial interactions? the synthetase activity lacking when the transcarbamy-
16. The following diagram represents the structure of a gene lase activity is present. (ICR-170 is assumed to induce
in Drosophila melanogaster; blue segments are exons, and frameshifts.) Interpret these results in regard to a pos-
yellow segments are introns. sible operon.
24. You wish to find the cis-acting regulatory DNA ele-
A B C D E F G H I J K L
ments responsible for the transcriptional responses of
two genes, c-fos and globin. Transcription of the c-fos
Enhancer Promoter Enhancer gene is activated in response to fibroblast growth factor
(FGF), but it is inhibited by cortisol (Cort). On the
a. Which segments of the gene will be represented in other hand, transcription of the globin gene is not
the initial RNA transcript? affected by either FGF or cortisol, but it is stimulated
by the hormone erythropoietin (EP). To find the cis-
b. Which segments of the gene will be removed by
acting regulatory DNA elements responsible for these
RNA splicing?
transcriptional responses, you use the following clones
c. Which segments would most likely bind proteins of the c-fos and globin genes, as well as two “hybrid”
that interact with RNA polymerase? combinations (fusion genes), as shown in diagram 1.
The letter A represents the intact c-fos gene, D repre-
CHALLENGING PROBLEMS sents the intact globin gene, and B and C represent the
17. The transcription of a gene called YFG (your favorite c-fos–globin gene fusions. The c-fos and globin exons (E)
gene) is activated when three transcription factors (TFA, and introns (I) are numbered. For example, E3(f) is the
TFB, TFC) interact to recruit the coactivator CRX. TFA, third exon of the c-fos gene and I2(g) is the second
TFB, TFC, and CRX and their respective binding sites intron of the globin gene. (These labels are provided to
constitute an enhanceosome located 10 kb from the help you make your answer clear.) The transcription
transcription start site. Draw a diagram showing how start sites (black arrows) and polyadenylation sites (red
you think the enhanceosome functions to recruit RNA arrows) are indicated.
polymerase to the promoter of YFG.
18. A single mutation in one of the transcription factors in p E1(f) E2(f) E3(f) p
Problem 17 results in a drastic reduction in YFG tran- A
I1(f) I2(f)
scription. Diagram what this mutant interaction might
p p
look like.
B
19. Diagram the effect of a mutation in the binding site for
one of the transcription factors in Problem 17. p p
C
20. How does an epigenetically silenced gene differ from a
mutant gene (a null allele of the same gene)? p I1(g) I2(g) p
D
21. What are epigenetic marks? Which are associated with E1(g) E2(g) E3(g)
heterochromatin? How are epigenetic marks thought
to be interpreted into chromatin structure? Diagram 1.
You introduce all four of these clones simultaneously from the introduced genes in response to various treat-
into tissue-culture cells and then stimulate individual ments are shown; the intensity of these bands is pro-
aliquots of these cells with one of the three factors. Gel portional to the amount of transcript made from a par-
analysis of the RNA isolated from the cells gives the ticular clone. (The failure of a band to appear indicates
following results. The levels of transcripts produced that the level of transcript is undetectable.)
No
treatment FGF Cort EP
a. Where is the DNA element that permits activation
Clone by FGF?
A
b. Where is the DNA element that permits repression
B
by Cort?
C
D c. Where is the DNA element that permits induction
by EP? Explain your answer.
Diagram 2.

Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes

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11 Regulation

11.1 Transcriptional Regulation

Overview of transcriptional regulation FIGURE 11-2 In bacteria, RNA

Repressed state: off Active state: on

that eukaryotic DNA is packaged into nucleosomes, forming chromatin, whereas

The unique features of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation are the focus of

Multicellular eukaryotes may have as many as 25,000 genes, severalfold more

Promoter-proximal elements are necessary for efficient transcription

GCCACACCC GGCCAATC ATATAA

have a dramatic effect on transcription, demonstrating how important they are. An

1. A domain that recognizes a DNA regulatory sequence (the protein’s

Much of the strategy of eukaryotic transcriptional control hinges on how spe-

Model Organism Yeast

Yeast has been called the E. coli of eukaryotes because

11.2 Lessons from Yeast: The GAL System

Transcriptional activator proteins bind to UAS elements in yeast

Chr II 5′ GAL7 GAL10 GAL1 3′ Chr XII 5′ GAL2 3′

The Gal4 protein has separable DNA-binding

FIGURE 11-8 Gal4 activity is regulated

Message The ability of Gal4, as well as other eukaryotic regulators, to function in a

Activators recruit the transcriptional machinery

The structure of chromatin

FIGURE 11-10 (a) The nucleosome in decondensed and condensed chromatin.

Message Chromatin can be dynamic; nucleosomes are not necessarily in fixed

Modified histone tails protrude Histones and chromatin remodeling

A histone code As already stated, most nucleosomes are

11.4 Mechanism of Enhancer Action

Message Eukaryotic enhancers can act at great distances to

The control of yeast mating type:

DNA-binding proteins combinatorially regulate the expression

Combinations of regulatory proteins control cell types

(a) a cell (b) α cell (c) a/α cell

FIGURE 11-17 Enhancer-blocking

Message In yeast and in multicellular eukaryotes, cell-type-specific patterns of gene

Model for how enhancer-blocking insulators might work

FIGURE 11-18 The proposal is that

11.5 Genomic Imprinting

Igf2 H19 Both DNA methylation marks and histone modification

FIGURE 11-20 A mutation (represented by

Sperm 3 Propagation Oocyte

But what about Dolly and other cloned mammals?

11.6 Chromatin Domains

Mating-type switching and gene silencing

FIGURE 11-22 S. cerevisiae chromosome III

(b) HMLα is copied into the MAT locus

HMLα MATα HMRa

(c) HMRa is copied into the MAT locus

HMLα MATa HMRa

Heterochromatin and euchromatin compared

especially around the centromeres and telomeres (called constitutive heterochro-

Message The chromatin of eukaryotes is not uniform. Highly condensed

Position-effect variegation in Drosophila reveals genomic

Gene silencing is caused by the spread of heterochromatin

Inversion places white+

white+ Eye is a mixture

FIGURE 11-24 Mutations were used to Some genes enhance or suppress

Drosophila eye Spreading

COO– COO– COO– COO–

Lysine Monomethyl lysine Dimethyl lysine Trimethyl lysine