Ikaros and RAG-2-Mediated Antisense Transcription Are Responsible for Lymphocyte-Specific Inactivation of NWC Promoter

Recombination activating gene-2 (RAG-2) and NWC are strongly evolutionarily conserved overlapping genes which are convergently transcribed. In non-lymphoid cells the NWC promoter is active whereas in lymphocytes it is inactive due to the DNA methylation. Analysing the mechanism responsible for lymphocyte-specific methylation and inactivation of NWC promoter we found that Ikaros, a lymphocyte-specific transcription factor, acts as a repressor of NWC promoter - thus identifying a new Ikaros target - but is insufficient for inducing its methylation which depends on the antisense transcription driven by RAG-2 promoter. Possible implications of these observations for understanding evolutionary mechanisms leading to lymphocyte specific expression of RAG genes are discussed.