Distal cis-regulatory elements in 3' UTRs orchestrate gene expression via single-gene domain architecture in Brassica rapa.

Distal cis-regulatory elements embedded in 3' UTRs of Brassica rapa leaves form single-gene domains, with 6362 accessible CREs defined within 0.5 Kb of termination sites.

• Why it matters: Distal CREs in intergenic regions are well studied, but the functional roles of distal elements within 3' UTRs are largely unknown, especially across developmental transitions.
• What they did: The study built epigenomic maps in Brassica rapa leaves at rosette and reproductive stages using ATAC-seq, CUT&Tag for five histone marks, and BL-Hi-C up to 100 bp resolution. CREs were classified by H3K27ac, H3K27me3, or bivalent marks, and BrFLC2’s distal CRE activity was tested with dual-luciferase reporters.
• The result: Distal 3' UTR CREs are linked to stage-specific gene expression by modulating chromatin interactions, exemplified by BrFLC2, and reporter assays verified transcriptional activation by its distal CRE.

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