V. on behalf of Japanese Pharmacological Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).”
“Background: The C. elegans dosage compensation complex (DCC) associates with both X Chromosomes of XX animals to reduce X-linked

transcript levels. Five DCC members are homologous to subunits of the evolutionarily conserved condensin complex, and two noncondensin subunits are required for DCC selleck compound recruitment to X.\n\nResults: We investigated the molecular mechanism of DCC recruitment and spreading along X by examining gene expression and the binding patterns of DCC subunits in different stages of development, and in strains harboring X;autosome (X;A) fusions. We show that DCC binding is dynamically specified according to gene activity during development and that the mechanism of DCC spreading is independent of X chromosome DNA sequence. Accordingly, in X;A fusion strains, DCC binding propagates from X-linked recruitment sites onto autosomal promoters as a function of distance. Quantitative analysis of spreading suggests that the condensin-like subunits spread from recruitment

sites to promoters more readily than subunits involved in initial X targeting.\n\nConclusions: A highly conserved chromatin complex is appropriated to accomplish domain-scale transcriptional regulation during C. elegans development. Unlike X recognition, which is

specified buy GDC-0068 partly by DNA sequence, spreading is sequence independent and coupled to transcriptional activity. Similarities to the X recognition and spreading strategies used by the Drosophila DCC suggest mechanisms fundamental to chromosome-scale gene regulation.”
“Xenobiotic compounds undergo a critical range of biotransformations performed by the phase I, II, and III drug-metabolizing enzymes. The oxidation, conjugation, and transportation of potentially harmful xenobiotic selleck products and endobiotic compounds achieved by these catalytic systems are significantly regulated, at the gene expression level, by members of the nuclear receptor (NR) family of ligand-modulated transcription factors. Activation of NRs by a variety of endo-and exogenous chemicals are elemental to induction and repression of drug-metabolism pathways. The master xenobiotic sensing NRs, the promiscuous pregnane X receptor and less-promiscuous constitutive androstane receptor are crucial to initial ligand recognition, jump-starting the metabolic process. Other receptors, including farnesoid X receptor, vitamin D receptor, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, liver X receptor, and RAR-related orphan receptor, are not directly linked to promiscuous xenobiotic binding, but clearly play important roles in the modulation of metabolic gene expression.