A CTCF-dependent mechanism underlies the Hox timer relation to a segmented body plan
During gastrulation, Hox genes are activated in a timesequence that follows the order of the genes along their clusters. This property, which is observed in all animals that develop following a progressive rostral-to-caudal morphogenesis, is associated with changes in the chromatin structure and epigenetic profiles of Hox clusters, suggesting a process at least partly based on sequential gene accessibility. Here, we discuss recent work on this issue, as well as a possible mechanism based on the surprising conservation in both the distribution and orientation of CTCF sites inside vertebrate Hox clusters.
WOS:001199047600001
2024-04-01
85
102160
REVIEWED
Funder | Grant Number |
Ecole Polytechnique Federale (EPFL, Lausanne) | |
University of Geneva | |
Swiss National Research Fund | 310030B_138662 |
European Research Council grant Regul Hox | 588029 |