Impact of Interactions between Su(Hw)-Dependent Insulators on the Transvection Effect in Drosophila melanogaster

• Published in: Doklady. Biochemistry and biophysics Vol. 517; no. 1; pp. 127 - 133
• Main Authors: Melnikova, L. S., Molodina, V. V., Georgiev, P. G., Golovnin, A. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.08.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biophysics; Chromatin; Chromatin - genetics; Chromatin - metabolism; Chromosomes; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - metabolism; Enhancer Elements, Genetic; Insulator Elements - genetics; Life Sciences; Molecular Biology; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Promoters; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; enhancer–promoter interactions; transcription regulation; Su(Hw); homologous chromosome pairing; insulator
• ISSN: 1607-6729; 1608-3091; 1608-3091
• DOI: 10.1134/S1607672924700820

Transvection is a phenomenon of interallelic communication in which enhancers can activate a specific promoter located on a homologous chromosome. Insulators play a significant role in ensuring functional interactions between enhancers and promoters. In the presented work, we created a model where two or three copies of the insulator are located next to enhancers and promoters localized on homologous chromosomes. Using the Su(Hw) insulator as a model, we showed that the functional interaction between a pair of insulators promotes enhancer–promoter trans -interactions. The interaction between the three insulators, on the contrary, can lead to the formation of chromatin loops that sterically hinder the full enhancer–promoter interaction. The results of the work suggest the participation of insulators in the regulation of homologous chromosome pairing and in communication between distant genomic loci.