A HUSH for transgene expression

The introduction of an extra gene into a genome-transgenesis-is frequently used as an experimental approach to study gene function but also has applications in biotechnology and gene therapy efforts. In mammalian cells, transgenes are often integrated in a random manner leading to variable levels of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2015-06, Vol.348 (6242), p.1433-1434
Main Authors: Brummelkamp, Thijn R, Steensel, Bas van
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biotechnology
Compacting
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Gene expression
Gene therapy
Genes
Genomics
Heterochromatin
Mammals
Proteins
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The introduction of an extra gene into a genome-transgenesis-is frequently used as an experimental approach to study gene function but also has applications in biotechnology and gene therapy efforts. In mammalian cells, transgenes are often integrated in a random manner leading to variable levels of expression, with differences as great as three orders of magnitude depending on the integration site (1). The complications of unpredictable levels of transgene expression are well recognized, but the mechanisms leading to variable expression are poorly understood. On page 1481 of this issue, Tchasovnikarova et al. (2) determine that a protein complex silences extra genes that are inserted into heterochromatin, regions of compacted DNA. This represents a new aspect of gene regulation that depends on chromatin context.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aac6529