In Silico Analysis of Gene Expression Network Components Underlying Pigmentation Phenotypes in the Python Identified Evolutionarily Conserved Clusters of Transcription Factor Binding Sites

Figure 10

TYR, DCT, and AIM1 upstream regions and associated candidate enhancer modules. (a) The upstream region from the python tyrosinase gene (TYR) contains a cluster of pigmentation associated transcription factor binding sites located between position 1 and position 200. This cluster includes binding sites for POU3F2, USF-1, LEF-1, and FOXD3. A second cluster occurs between position 410 and position 640 that contains sites for FOXD3, LEF-1, USF-1, and POU3F2. The third cluster is located from position 1210 to position 1410 and contains binding sites for CREB, MITF, POU3F2, and USF-1. (b) The upstream region of python dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) contains a cluster of binding sites from position 675 to position 800 that include LEF-1, POU3F2, MITF, and FOXD3. A second cluster occurs from position 800 to position 1000 which includes binding sites for transcription factors FOXD3, POU3F2, USF-1, LEF-1, and MITF. The third cluster contains binding sites for LEF-1, MITF, USF-1, POU3F2, and FOXD3. (c) The upstream region from Absent In Melanoma 1 (AIM1) (Figure 10(c)) contains a cluster of transcription factor binding sites between position 725 and position 925 for POU3F2, USF-1, MITF, FOXD3, and LEF-1. A second cluster of sites beginning at position 950 and ending at position 1150 contains binding sites for POU3F2 and FOXD3. A third cluster of binding sites beginning at position 1200 and ending at position 1500 has binding sites for USF-1, POU3F2, and LEF-1.

(a)

(b)

(c)