Epigenetic balance of gene expression by polycomb and compass families

Andrea Piunti, Ali Shilatifard*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

361 Scopus citations

Abstract

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression in metazoans is central for establishing cellular diversity, and its deregulation can result in pathological conditions. Although transcription factors are essential for implementing gene expression programs, they do not function in isolation and require the recruitment of various chromatin-modifying and -remodeling machineries. A classic example of developmental chromatin regulation is the balanced activities of the Polycomb group (PcG) proteins within the PRC1 and PRC2 complexes, and the Trithorax group (TrxG) proteins within the COMPASS family, which are highly mutated in a large number of human diseases. In this review, we will discuss the latest findings regarding the properties of the PcG and COMPASS families and the insight they provide into the epigenetic control of transcription under physiological and pathological settings.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number9780
JournalScience
Volume352
Issue number6290
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 3 2016

Funding

We thank all of the members of the Shilatifard laboratory for helpful discussions and in particular E. Smith and M. Morgan for critical suggestions and help with the manuscript, and L. Shilatifard for editorial assistance. We are also grateful to M. Miller for assistance during the preparation of figures for this review. A.P. is an EMBO postdoctoral fellow (ALTF 372-2015), AIRC and Marie Curie Actions - People - COFUND. A.S. is on the scientific advisory boards of Genentech and Cell Signaling Technology. The studies in the Shilatifard laboratory in regard to the Polycomb and COMPASS family are supported by the National Cancer Institute grant R35CA197569.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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