The complexity of genomic interactions within these mammalian “chromatin interactomes” raises the possibility that factors exist with a sole and/or primary purpose of mediating intra- and interchromosomal contacts. Here, we discuss evidence that CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a leading candidate for this role. Mechanistic insights and unique distribution patterns revealed by recent genome ...
One important structural and functional component of chromatin organization is the zinc finger factor CTCF. Two decades of research has advanced the understanding of the fundamental role that CTCF plays in regulating such a vast expanse of DNA.
A master regulatory protein called CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) helps bridge the gap between genome architecture and gene expression. A wide range of CTCF-binding sites are dotted throughout the ...
CTCF was subsequently demonstrated to be responsible for this insulator activity of 5′HS4 [5]. The human and mouse β-globin loci are also located inside large chromosomal regions of inactive chromatin and are similarly flanked by CTCF-binding sites [17, 18].
The N but Not the C Terminus of CTCF Is Necessary for Chromatin Loop Formation. According to a current hypothetical model, cohesin extrudes chromatin loops until it encounters a CTCF dimer formed by two molecules of CTCF bound to the convergent binding sites (17, 39).
Our study reveals a novel role of CTCF in regulating erythroid differentiation by maintaining its proper chromatin openness and gene expression network, which extends our understanding of CTCF biology.
The chromatin regulator CTCF has key roles in the gradual development of hierarchical chromatin structure during human embryogenesis.
CTCF is considered as the most essential transcription factor regulating chromatin architecture and gene expression. However, genome-wide impact of CTCF on erythropoiesis has not been extensively investigated. Using a state-of-the-art human ...
Background CTCF is considered as the most essential transcription factor regulating chromatin architecture and gene expression. However, genome-wide impact of CTCF on erythropoiesis has not been extensively investigated. Results Using a state-of-the-art human erythroid progenitor cell model (HUDEP-2 and HEL cell lines), we systematically investigate the effects of acute CTCF loss by an auxin ...
The CTCF N terminus is necessary for chromatin loop formation. (A) Chromatin loops were analyzed by Hi-C in the five types of cells (WT CH12, mut CH12, and mut CH12 cells stably expressing either of three CTCF constructs: FL-CTCF, N terminus+11ZFs, and C terminus+11ZFs).
CTCF is a nuclear protein initially discovered for its role in enhancer-promoter insulation. It has been shown to play a role in genome architecture and in fact, its DNA binding sites are enriched at the borders of chromatin domains. Recently, we ...
Recent genetic and technological advances have determined a role for chromatin structure in neurodevelopment. In particular, compounding evidence has established roles for CTCF and cohesin, two elements that are central in the establishment of chromatin ...
We demonstrate that CTCF-mediated chromatin loops between promoters and intragenic regions are prevalent and that when exons are in physical proximity with their promoters, CTCF binding correlates with exon inclusion in spliced mRNA. Genome-wide, CTCF-bound exons are enriched for genes involved in signaling and cellular stress-response pathways.
Insight into the molecular mechanisms by which CTCF modulates chromatin structure and demarcates independent chromatin domains will be extremely important toward understanding if loops are a necessary and/or sufficient component of genome regulation.
Sams et al. examine the role of CTCF in cognitive processes in the hippocampus. Using genome-wide approaches, they find that CTCF regulates protocadherin and memory-related genes in the hippocampus. Circular chromosome confirmation capture (4C) suggests that experience-dependent upregulation of memory-related genes is related to CTCF-dependent chromatin organization.
CTCF, a zinc finger DNA-binding protein that functions in transcriptional repression, activation, and as an insulator that interferes with enhancer–promoter interactions [9], is needed for the recruitment of cohesin to chromatin [10].
CTCF controls the three-dimensional enhancer network, 62,63 forming submegabase structures with elevated internal chromatin contact frequencies known as TADs. 64 It is suggested that memory can be retained in the three-dimensional structure of the genome, 65 and we speculate that H3K18la by marking looping regions in trained cells enables a pre ...
