Indrikis Muiznieks 1,5The state of methylation of the 5Ј-CpG-3Ј sites is known to be linked to the regulation of Birgit Schmitz 1 promoter function by modulating DNA-protein interactions and to the structure of chromaGudrun Schell 1 tin. As part of a project to determine methylation patterns in the human genome, the Yoshihito Yawata 2 methylation profiles were examined in genes for the human erythroid membrane proteins; Walter Doerfler 1 protein 4.2 (P4.2), gene (ELB42), band 3 (B3), gene (EPB3), and β-spectrin (β-Sp), gene 1 Institute of Genetics, University (SPTB). The bisulfite protocol of the genomic sequencing method was applied.(1) In the of Cologne, Köln, Germany DNA from peripheral white blood cells, the promoter regions of EPB3 and ELB42 were 2 Division of Hematology, extensively methylated, but the promoter of SPTB was totally unmethylated. (2) During Department of Medicine, erythroid differentiation, (i) ELB42 was unmethylated in DNAs from the cell line UT-7/EPO, Kawasaki Medical School, but became methylated (55Ϫ93%) in cultured erythroblasts from peripheral BFU-E. The Kurashiki City, Japan mRNA from ELB42 was first detected in early erythroblasts and protein 4.2 was expressed Present addresses: in late erythroblasts. (ii) EPB3 was consistently methylated in UT-7/EPO and also in cultu-3 Institute of Human Genetics red erythroblasts from burst forming unit erythroid (BFU-E) from peripheral blood. EPB3 and Anthropology, Heinrichand ELB42 were efficiently transcribed in UT-7 cells only after erythropoietin stimulation. Heine-University, Duesseldorf, (iii) SPTB remained unmethylated in DNAs from UT-7/EPO and cultured erythroblasts. (3) Germany 4 Institute of Human Genetics, We also investigated methylation profiles in peripheral white blood cells from patients with University of Essen Medical erythroid diseases, like complete P4.2 deficiency due to ELB42 mutations, hereditary School, Essen, Germany spherocytosis with EPB3 mutations, and hereditary elliptocytosis with SPTB mutations. 5 Department of Microbiology,The methylation profiles of the promoter regions of these three genes were essentially Latvian University, Riga, Latvia identical to those in healthy individuals.