Universität zu Köln

Heger, Peter ORCID: 0000-0003-2583-2981, Marin, Birger, Bartkuhn, Marek ORCID: 0000-0001-6872-9082, Schierenberg, Einhard and Wiehe, Thomas (2012). The chromatin insulator CTCF and the emergence of metazoan diversity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 109 (43). S. 17507 - 17513. WASHINGTON: NATL ACAD SCIENCES. ISSN 0027-8424

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Abstract

The great majority of metazoans belong to bilaterian phyla. They diversified during a short interval in Earth's history known as the Cambrian explosion, similar to 540 million years ago. However, the genetic basis of these events is poorly understood. Here we argue that the vertebrate genome organizer CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor) played an important role for the evolution of bilaterian animals. We provide evidence that the CTCF protein and a genome-wide abundance of CTCF-specific binding motifs are unique to bilaterian phyla, but absent in other eukaryotes. We demonstrate that CTCF-binding sites within vertebrate and Drosophila Hox gene clusters have been maintained for several hundred million years, suggesting an ancient origin of the previously known interaction between Hox gene regulation and CTCF. In addition, a close correlation between the presence of CTCF and Hox gene clusters throughout the animal kingdom suggests conservation of the Hox-CTCF link across the Bilateria. On the basis of these findings, we propose the existence of a Hox-CTCF kernel as principal organizer of bilaterian body plans. Such a kernel could explain (i) the formation of Hox clusters in Bilateria, (ii) the diversity of bilaterian body plans, and (iii) the uniqueness and time of onset of the Cambrian explosion.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Heger, Peter UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-2583-2981 UNSPECIFIED Marin, Birger UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Bartkuhn, Marek UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-6872-9082 UNSPECIFIED Schierenberg, Einhard UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Wiehe, Thomas UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-480906
DOI:	10.1073/pnas.1111941109
Journal or Publication Title:	Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
Volume:	109
Number:	43
Page Range:	S. 17507 - 17513
Date:	2012
Publisher:	NATL ACAD SCIENCES
Place of Publication:	WASHINGTON
ISSN:	0027-8424
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language DROSOPHILA-BITHORAX COMPLEX; HOXC8 EARLY ENHANCER; CCCTC-BINDING FACTOR; PROTEIN CTCF; HUMAN GENOME; CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS; GENE-EXPRESSION; DNA-SEQUENCES; EVOLUTION Multiple languages Multidisciplinary Sciences Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/48090