The insulator protein SU(HW) modulates nuclear lamina interactions of the Drosophila genome: expression

Specific interactions of the genome with the nuclear lamina (NL) are thought to assist chromosome folding inside the nucleus and to contribute to the regulation of gene expression. High-resolution mapping has recently identified hundreds of large, sharply defined lamina-associated domains (LADs) in the human genome, and suggested that the insulator protein CTCF may help to demarcate these domains. Here, we report the detailed structure of LADs in Drosophila cells, and investigate the putative roles of five insulator proteins in LAD organization. We found that of these five proteins, only SU(HW) binds preferentially at LAD borders and at specific positions inside LADs, while GAF, CTCF, BEAF-32 and DWG are mostly absent from these regions. By knockdown and overexpression studies we demonstrate that SU(HW) weakens LAD – NL interactions by a local antagonistic effect. Our results provide insights into the evolution of LAD organization and reveal a role for SU(HW) in the regulation of genome – NL interactions. RNA was isolated from three independent Drosophila Kc167 cell cultures. Expression profiles were made of self-self hybridizations on spotted INDAC long oligo arrays. The three replicates were averaged.