Strict in vivo specificity of the Bcl11a erythroid enhancer

BCL11A, a repressor of human fetal (γ-)globin expression, is required for immune and hematopoietic stem cell functions and brain development. Regulatory sequences within the gene, which are subject to genetic variation affecting fetal globin expression, display hallmarks of an erythroid enhancer in cell lines and transgenic mice. As such, this enhancer is a novel, attractive target for therapeutic gene editing. To explore the roles of such sequences in vivo, we generated mice in which the orthologous 10-kb intronic sequences were removed. Bcl11a enhancer–deleted mice, Bcl11a(Δenh), phenocopy the BCL11A-null state with respect to alterations of globin expression, yet are viable and exhibit no observable blood, brain, or other abnormalities. These preclinical findings provide strong in vivo support for genetic modification of the enhancer for therapy of hemoglobin disorders. •Deletion of the erythroid enhancer of Bcl11a from the mouse genome does not affect viability or Bcl11a expression in nonerythroid lineages.•Elevated levels of γ-globin in Bcl11a enhancer–deleted mice are comparable to those in erythroid-specific Bcl11a gene knockout mice.