Intergenic transcription occurs throughout the human IL-4/IL-13 gene cluster

Recent experiments have shown that the previously identified elements in th e proximal promoter of IL-4 are not sufficient to fully explain the regulat ion of its transcription. Consequently we examined another aspect of transc riptional regulation, intergenic transcription, which has been observed thr oughout the prototypic gene cluster of human beta-globin. These intergenic transcripts are nuclear and it-is possible that they play an important func tional role in the beta-globin locus. sere we show that intergenic transcri ption also occurs in the IL-4/IL-13 gene cluster. Intergenic transcription occurs when the surrounding genes are not transcriptionally active; it also occurs in the promoters of these genes; the transcripts are polyadenylated and they remain in the nucleus. We also show that, in HeLa cells which do not express IL-4 or IL-13, intergenic transcription is absent from the regi on immediately surrounding the genes. This suggests a role for intergenic t ranscription in the regulation of the IL-4/ IL-13 gene cluster, (C) 1999 Ac ademic Press.