RT Journal
A1 Yang, Jingping
A1 Ramos, Edward
A1 Corces, Victor G.
T1 The BEAF-32 insulator coordinates genome organization and function during the evolution of Drosophila species
JF Genome Research 
JO Genome Research 
YR 2012 
FD November 01 
VO 22 
IS 11 
SP 2199 
OP 2207 
DO 10.1101/gr.142125.112 
UL http://genome.cshlp.org/content/22/11/2199.abstract 
AB Understanding the relationship between genome organization and expression is central to understanding genome function. Closely apposed genes in a head-to-head orientation share the same upstream region and are likely to be coregulated. Here we identify the Drosophila BEAF-32 insulator as a cis regulatory element separating close head-to-head genes with different transcription regulation modes. We then compare the binding landscapes of the BEAF-32 insulator protein in four different Drosophila genomes and highlight the evolutionarily conserved presence of this protein between close adjacent genes. We find that changes in binding of BEAF-32 to sites in the genome of different Drosophila species correlate with alterations in genome organization caused by DNA rearrangements or genome size expansion. The cross-talk between BEAF-32 genomic distribution and genome organization contributes to new gene-expression profiles, which in turn translate into specific and distinct phenotypes. The results suggest a mechanism for the establishment of differences in transcription patterns during evolution.