Tulin, A.V., Naumova, N.M., Aravin, A.A., Gvozdev, V.A. (1998). Repeated, protein-encoding heterochromatic genes cause inactivation of a juxtaposed euchromatic gene.  FEBS Lett. 425(3): 513--516.

FBrf0102411

Research paper

Euchromatic genes are often silenced by rearrangements that place them within or near heterochromatin, a phenomenon known as position effect variegation (PEV). However, little is known about molecular structure of cis-acting heterochromatic fragments responsible for PEV. Here we report that heterochromatic cluster containing Stellate repeats, that encode putative regulatory subunit of protein kinase CK2 cause PEV of a reporter white 'mini-gene'. It is the first example of an euchromatic gene being silenced because of the proximity to the natural, well-defined heterochromatic repeat cluster.