Targeted inactivation of the major positive regulatory element (HS-40) of the human alpha-globin gene locus

We have examined the role of the major positive upstream regulatory element of the human α-globin gene locus (HS-40) in its natural chromosomal context. Using homologous recombination, HS-40 was replaced by a neo marker gene in a mouse erythroleukemia hybrid cell line containing a single copy of human chromosome 16. In clones from which HS-40 had been deleted, human α-globin gene expression was severely reduced, although basal levels of α1 and α2-globin mRNA expression representing less than 3% of the level in control cell lines were detected. Deletion of the neo marker gene, by using FLP recombinase/FLP recombinase target system, proved that the phenotype observed was not caused by the regulatory elements of this marker gene. In the targeted clones, deletion of HS-40 apparently does not affect long-range or local chromatin structure at the α promoters. Therefore, these results indicate that, in the experimental system used, HS-40 behaves as a strong inducible enhancer of human α-globin gene expression.

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