Highly discriminative globin gene activation by the noncanonical BAF chromatin remodeling complex

Abstract

For all we understand about the fetal-to-adult switch in usage of β-globin cluster genes, its intricate regulation remains incompletely understood. Bagchi et al reveal, for the first time, that specific chromatin-remodeling machines such as the Brahma-associated factor (BAF) complexes play different roles at the γ-, δ-, and β-globin genes in both erythroid cell lines and primary human erythroid progenitors. Their findings may point to new pathways to reactivate fetal hemoglobin (α2γ2) expression.