Summary: Cell, Vol. 85, 745­759, May 31, 1996, Copyright ©1996 by Cell Press
Perturbation of Nuclear Architecture
by Long-Distance Chromosome Interactions
Abby F. Dernburg,*§
Karl W. Broman,
transcription will often be affected in a curious manner:
Jennifer C. Fung,
Wallace F. Marshall,* the geneis expressedin some cellsbut is silentin others,
Jennifer Philips,* David A. Agard* resulting in a mosaic pattern that can be readily detected
and John W. Sedat* if the gene affects, for example, tissue pigmentation.
*Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics The prevailing model for this phenomenon invokes a
University of California, San Francisco "spreading" mechanism, in which the condensed tran-
San Francisco, California 94143-0554 scriptionally silent state of heterochromatin extends

Department of Statistics along the length of the chromosome into neighboring
University of California, Berkeley genes. The extent of this spreading is proposed to vary
Berkeley, California 94720 on a cell-by-cell basis, accounting for the variegated

Graduate Group in Biophysics phenotype.
University of California, San Francisco However, there are particular examples of PEV that

Source: Agard, David - Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California at San Francisco
Broman, Karl W. - Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Collections: Biology and Medicine; Biotechnology