Control of globin gene transcription by erythropoietin in erythroblasts from friend virus-infected mice.

Splenic erythroblasts of mice infected with the anemia-inducing strain of Friend virus can be isolated in large numbers with less than 5% contamination with other cell types. In short-term culture, the isolated cells will initiate globin synthesis and undergo other aspects of terminal differentiation only if erythropoietin (EP) is added to the medium. An early effect of the hormone on these cells is stimulation of total RNA synthesis. EP also causes initiation of transcription of the beta-globin genes after a lag period of 4 to 6 h. By 6 h, the transcription rate of beta-globin RNA is enhanced threefold, and by 12 h, it is nearly maximal at ca. 20 times the level of control cells which received no EP. Transcription rates of alpha and beta-globin genes are approximately equal to each other throughout the period of terminal differentiation. In the splenic erythroblasts, the chromatin structure in the vicinity of the beta-major globin gene was analyzed with two nucleases during these transcription rate changes. No S1 nuclease-hypersensitive site is detectable near the gene. The beta-major gene is quite sensitive to DNase I in comparison with the albumin gene; however, the level of sensitivity is the same before EP addition as it is during maximal gene transcription after EP addition. Also, a hypersensitive site near the 5' cap site of the beta-major gene is quantitatively equivalent both before and after EP addition. Analysis of cytosine methylation at two sites upstream from the gene showed no changes upon induction of beta-globin gene transcription by EP. Thus, the initiation of beta-globin transcription by EP appears to be at some step after chromatin structural alteration such as synthesis, release, or activation of a specific transcription initiation factor.