Analyses of long-range interactions of the NR0B1 (DAX1) promoter using chromosome conformation capture-on-chip

Heterozygous point mutations or genomic deletions of NR0B1 in Xp21.2 result in congenital adrenal hypoplasia and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, whereas the NR0B1 locus duplications in XY individuals lead to gonadal dysgenesis and a male-to-female dosage-sensitive sex reversal. We previously reported an ~ 257 kb deletion mapping 11 kb upstream to NR0B1 in a XY female with primary amenorrhea, small immature uterus, and gonadal dysgenesis pointing to an alteration of its regulatory region. To identify the potential regulatory elements of NR0B1, we have analyzed its 2 Mb flanking regions using chromosome conformation capture-on-chip (4C) in Sertoli cells and lymphoblasts. We confirm the involvement of the previously proposed regulatory region in the control of NR0B1 expression and describe several novel potential chromatin interactions within the NR0B1 locus that may be involved in sex differentiation. Custom designed 3x720K tiling microarrays covering 4 Mb region (chrX:28,082,100-32,087,100) flanking NR0B1 gene of interest