DEVELOPMENTAL REGULATION OF HUMAN FETAL-TO-ADULT GLOBIN GENE SWITCHING IN TRANSGENIC MICE

Transgenic mice containing a human fetal (γ-) or adult (β-) globin gene linked to the β-globin gene locus activation region (LAR) express the gene throughout development. By contrast transgenic mice containing LAR linked to both a fetal and an adult globin gene display the normal developmental switch from fetal to adult gene expression. This suggests that the human fetal-to-adult globin gene switch is controlled through a mutually exclusive interaction between LAR and either the γ- or β-globin gene, resulting in the expression of only one gene at any given moment. © 1990 Nature Publishing Group.