Epigenetics of β-globin gene regulation

It is widely recognized that the next great challenge in the post-genomic period is to understand how the genome establishes the cell and tissue specific patterns of gene expression that underlie development. The β-globin genes are among the most extensively studied tissue specific and developmentally regulated genes. The onset of erythropoiesis in precursor cells and the progressive expression of different members of the β-globin family during development are accompanied by dramatic epigenetic changes in the locus. In this review, we will consider the relationship between histone and DNA modifications and the transcriptional activity of the β-globin genes, the dynamic changes in epigenetic modifications observed during erythroid development, and the potential these changes hold as new targets for therapy in human disease.