ChIPs of the β-globin locus: unraveling gene regulation within an active domain

Recent studies of β-globin gene expression have concentrated on the analysis of factor binding and chromatin structure within the endogenous locus. These studies have more precisely defined the extent and nature of the active chromosomal domain and the elements that organize it. Surprisingly, the β-globin locus control region (LCR), although critical for high-level gene expression, plays little role in the overall architecture of the active locus. Analysis of the effects of targeted deletion of the β-globin LCR, along with emerging knowledge of the behavior of the erythroid transcription factor NF-E2, leads to a new perspective on factor binding and LCR function.