2011/05/15 by Aimée M. Deaton, Adrian Bird · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics #Epigenetics and DNA Methylation #Cancer-related gene regulation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1101/gad.2037511
openalex publication_date 2011/05/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Vertebrate CpG islands (CGIs) are short interspersed DNA sequences that deviate significantly from the average genomic pattern by being GC-rich, CpG-rich, and predominantly nonmethylated. Most, perhaps all, CGIs are sites of transcription initiation, including thousands that are remote from currently annotated promoters. Shared DNA sequence features adapt CGIs for promoter function by destabilizing nucleosomes and attracting proteins that create a transcriptionally permissive chromatin state. Silencing of CGI promoters is achieved through dense CpG methylation or polycomb recruitment, again using their distinctive DNA sequence composition. CGIs are therefore generically equipped to influence local chromatin structure and simplify regulation of gene activity.