DNA binding by FOXP3 domain-swapped dimer suggests mechanisms of long-range chromosomal interactions.
Nucleic Acids Res
; 43(2): 1268-82, 2015 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25567984
ABSTRACT
FOXP3 is a lineage-specific transcription factor that is required for regulatory T cell development and function. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the FOXP3 forkhead domain bound to DNA. The structure reveals that FOXP3 can form a stable domain-swapped dimer to bridge DNA in the absence of cofactors, suggesting that FOXP3 may play a role in long-range gene interactions. To test this hypothesis, we used circular chromosome conformation capture coupled with high throughput sequencing (4C-seq) to analyze FOXP3-dependent genomic contacts around a known FOXP3-bound locus, Ptpn22. Our studies reveal that FOXP3 induces significant changes in the chromatin contacts between the Ptpn22 locus and other Foxp3-regulated genes, reflecting a mechanism by which FOXP3 reorganizes the genome architecture to coordinate the expression of its target genes. Our results suggest that FOXP3 mediates long-range chromatin interactions as part of its mechanisms to regulate specific gene expression in regulatory T cells.
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
DNA
/
Chromosomes
/
Forkhead Transcription Factors
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Nucleic Acids Res
Year:
2015
Type:
Article