scholarly journals The Distribution of Polycomb-Group Proteins During Cell Division and Development in Drosophila Embryos: Impact on Models for Silencing

1998 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Buchenau ◽  
Jacob Hodgson ◽  
Helen Strutt ◽  
Donna J. Arndt-Jovin
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Whole Mount ◽  
Confocal Fluorescence ◽  
Dimensional Distribution ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Drosophila Embryos

The subcellular three-dimensional distribution of three polycomb-group (PcG) proteins—polycomb, polyhomeotic and posterior sex combs—in fixed whole-mount Drosophila embryos was analyzed by multicolor confocal fluorescence microscopy. All three proteins are localized in complex patterns of 100 or more loci throughout most of the interphase nuclear volume. The rather narrow distribution of the protein intensities in the vast majority of loci argues against a PcG-mediated sequestration of repressed target genes by aggregation into subnuclear domains. In contrast to the case for PEV repression (Csink, A.K., and S. Henikoff. 1996. Nature. 381:529–531), there is a lack of correlation between the occurrence of PcG proteins and high concentrations of DNA, demonstrating that the silenced genes are not targeted to heterochromatic regions within the nucleus. There is a clear distinction between sites of transcription in the nucleus and sites of PcG binding, supporting the assumption that most PcG binding loci are sites of repressive complexes. Although the PcG proteins maintain tissue-specific repression for up to 14 cell generations, the proteins studied here visibly dissociate from the chromatin during mitosis, and disperse into the cytoplasm in a differential manner. Quantitation of the fluorescence intensities in the whole mount embryos demonstrate that the dissociated proteins are present in the cytoplasm. We determined that <2% of PH remains attached to late metaphase and anaphase chromosomes. Each of the three proteins that were studied has a different rate and extent of dissociation at prophase and reassociation at telophase. These observations have important implications for models of the mechanism and maintenance of PcG- mediated gene repression.

Comparison of germline mosaics of genes in the Polycomb group of Drosophila melanogaster.

Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
M C Soto ◽  
T B Chou ◽  
W Bender
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Mitotic Recombination ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Independent Functions ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Null Phenotype ◽  
Additional Sex Combs

Abstract The genes of the Polycomb group (PcG) repress the genes of the bithorax and Antennapedia complexes, among others. To observe a null phenotype for a PcG gene, one must remove its maternal as well as zygotic contribution to the embryo. Five members of the PcG group are compared here: Enhancer of Polycomb [E(Pc)], Additional sex combs (Asx), Posterior sex combs (Psc), Suppressor of zeste 2 [Su (z) 2] and Polycomblike (Pcl). The yeast recombinase (FLP) system was used to induce mitotic recombination in the maternal germline. Mutant embryos were analyzed by staining with antibodies against six target genes of the PcG. The loss of the maternal component leads to enhanced homeotic phenotypes and to unique patterns of misexpression. E(Pc) and Su(z) 2 mutations had only subtle effects on the target genes, even when the maternal contributions were removed. Asx and Pcl mutants show derepression of the targets only in specific cell types. Psc shows unusual effects on two of the targets, Ultrabithorax and abdominal-A. These results show that the PcG genes do not act only in a common complex or pathway; they must have some independent functions.

The Additional sex combs gene of Drosophila encodes a chromatin protein that binds to shared and unique Polycomb group sites on polytene chromosomes

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (7) ◽  
pp. 1207-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.A. Sinclair ◽  
T.A. Milne ◽  
J.W. Hodgson ◽  
J. Shellard ◽  
C.A. Salinas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Position Effect ◽  
Polytene Chromosomes ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Position Effect Variegation ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Effect Variegation ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Additional Sex Combs ◽  
Site Recognition

The Additional sex combs (Asx) gene of Drosophila is a member of the Polycomb group of genes, which are required for maintenance of stable repression of homeotic and other loci. Asx is unusual among the Polycomb group because: (1) one Asx allele exhibits both anterior and posterior transformations; (2) Asx mutations enhance anterior transformations of trx mutations; (3) Asx mutations exhibit segmentation phenotypes in addition to homeotic phenotypes; (4) Asx is an Enhancer of position-effect variegation and (5) Asx displays tissue-specific derepression of target genes. Asx was cloned by transposon tagging and encodes a protein of 1668 amino acids containing an unusual cysteine cluster at the carboxy terminus. The protein is ubiquitously expressed during development. We show that Asx is required in the central nervous system to regulate Ultrabithorax. ASX binds to multiple sites on polytene chromosomes, 70% of which overlap those of Polycomb, polyhomeotic and Polycomblike, and 30% of which are unique. The differences in target site recognition may account for some of the differences in Asx phenotypes relative to other members of the Polycomb group.

scholarly journals Variant PCGF1-PRC1 links PRC2 recruitment with differentiation-associated transcriptional inactivation at target genes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroki Sugishita ◽  
Takashi Kondo ◽  
Shinsuke Ito ◽  
Manabu Nakayama ◽  
Nayuta Yakushiji-Kaminatsui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Down Regulation ◽  
Aberrant Expression ◽  
Polycomb Repressive Complexes

AbstractPolycomb repressive complexes-1 and -2 (PRC1 and 2) silence developmental genes in a spatiotemporal manner during embryogenesis. How Polycomb group (PcG) proteins orchestrate down-regulation of target genes upon differentiation, however, remains elusive. Here, by differentiating embryonic stem cells into embryoid bodies, we reveal a crucial role for the PCGF1-containing variant PRC1 complex (PCGF1-PRC1) to mediate differentiation-associated down-regulation of a group of genes. Upon differentiation cues, transcription is down-regulated at these genes, in association with PCGF1-PRC1-mediated deposition of histone H2AK119 mono-ubiquitination (H2AK119ub1) and PRC2 recruitment. In the absence of PCGF1-PRC1, both H2AK119ub1 deposition and PRC2 recruitment are disrupted, leading to aberrant expression of target genes. PCGF1-PRC1 is, therefore, required for initiation and consolidation of PcG-mediated gene repression during differentiation.

scholarly journals The polycomb group protein complex of Drosophila melanogaster has different compositions at different target genes.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 6773-6783 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Strutt ◽  
R Paro
Keyword(s):  
Protein Complex ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Regulatory Sequences ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Polycomb Group Genes ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Group Protein

In Drosophila the Polycomb group genes are required for the long-term maintenance of the repressed state of many developmental regulatory genes. Their gene products are thought to function in a common multimeric complex that associates with Polycomb group response elements (PREs) in target genes and regulates higher-order chromatin structure. We show that the chromodomain of Polycomb is necessary for protein-protein interactions within a Polycomb-Polyhomeotic complex. In addition, Posterior Sex Combs protein coimmunoprecipitates Polycomb and Polyhomeotic, indicating that they are members of a common multimeric protein complex. Immunoprecipitation experiments using in vivo cross-linked chromatin indicate that these three Polycomb group proteins are associated with identical regulatory elements of the selector gene engrailed in tissue culture cells. Polycomb, Polyhomeotic, and Posterior Sex Combs are, however, differentially distributed on regulatory sequences of the engrailed-related gene invected. This suggests that there may be multiple different Polycomb group protein complexes which function at different target sites. Furthermore, Polyhomeotic and Posterior Sex Combs are also associated with expressed genes. Polyhomeotic and Posterior Sex Combs may participate in a more general transcriptional mechanism that causes modulated gene repression, whereas the inclusion of Polycomb protein in the complex at PREs leads to stable silencing.

scholarly journals PWWP INTERACTOR OF POLYCOMBS (PWO1) links PcG-mediated gene repression to the nuclear lamina inArabidopsis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawel Mikulski ◽  
Mareike L. Hohenstatt ◽  
Sara Farrona ◽  
Cezary Smaczniak ◽  
Kerstin Kaufmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Nuclear Lamina ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 ◽  
Peripheral Protein ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Associated Proteins

AbstractPolycomb group (PcG) proteins facilitate chromatin-mediated gene repression through the modification of histone tails in a wide range of eukaryotes, including plants and animals. One of the PcG protein complexes, Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), promotes repressive chromatin formation via tri-methylation of lysine-27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3). The animal PRC2 is implicated in impacting subnuclear distribution of chromatin as its complex components and H3K27me3 are functionally connected with the nuclear lamina (NL) - a peripheral protein mesh that resides underneath the inner nuclear membrane (INM) and consists of lamins and lamina-associated proteins. In contrast to animals, NL in plants has an atypical structure and its association with PRC2-mediated gene repression is largely unknown. Here, we present a connection between lamin-like protein, CROWDED NUCLEI 1 (CRWN1), and a novel PRC2-associated component, PWWP INTERACTOR OF POLYCOMBS 1 (PWO1), inArabidopsis thaliana. We show that PWO1 and CRWN1 proteins associate physically with each other, act in the same pathway to maintain nuclear morphology and control expression of similar set of target genes. Moreover, we demonstrate that PWO1 proteins form speckle-like foci located partially at the subnuclear periphery inNicotiana benthamianaandArabidopsis thaliana. Ultimately, as CRWN1 and PWO1 are plant-specific, our results argue that plants developed an equivalent, rather than homologous, mechanism of linking PRC2-mediated chromatin repression and nuclear lamina.

Origins and three-dimensional distribution of substance P-containing structures on the rat stomach using whole-mount tissue

1984 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Minagawa ◽  
Sadao Shiosaka ◽  
Hiroyoshi Inoue ◽  
Norio Hayashi ◽  
Akinori Kasahara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance P ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Rat Stomach ◽  
Whole Mount ◽  
Dimensional Distribution

scholarly journals IMITATION SWITCH is required for normal chromatin structure and gene repression in PRC2 target domains

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. e2010003118
Author(s):  
Masayuki Kamei ◽  
Abigail J. Ameri ◽  
Aileen R. Ferraro ◽  
Yael Bar-Peled ◽  
Fangzhou Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Structure ◽  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Facultative Heterochromatin ◽  
Triple Mutant ◽  
H3k27 Methylation ◽  
Methylation Patterns

Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins are part of an epigenetic cell memory system that plays essential roles in multicellular development, stem cell biology, X chromosome inactivation, and cancer. In animals, plants, and many fungi, Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) to assemble transcriptionally repressed facultative heterochromatin. PRC2 is structurally and functionally conserved in the model fungus Neurospora crassa, and recent work in this organism has generated insights into PRC2 control and function. To identify components of the facultative heterochromatin pathway, we performed a targeted screen of Neurospora deletion strains lacking individual ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes. We found the Neurospora homolog of IMITATION SWITCH (ISW) is critical for normal transcriptional repression, nucleosome organization, and establishment of typical histone methylation patterns in facultative heterochromatin domains. We also found that stable interaction between PRC2 and chromatin depends on ISW. A functional ISW ATPase domain is required for gene repression and normal H3K27 methylation. ISW homologs interact with accessory proteins to form multiple complexes with distinct functions. Using proteomics and molecular approaches, we identified three distinct Neurospora ISW-containing complexes. A triple mutant lacking three ISW accessory factors and disrupting multiple ISW complexes led to widespread up-regulation of PRC2 target genes and altered H3K27 methylation patterns, similar to an ISW-deficient strain. Taken together, our data show that ISW is a key component of the facultative heterochromatin pathway in Neurospora, and that distinct ISW complexes perform an apparently overlapping role to regulate chromatin structure and gene repression at PRC2 target domains.

Applications of Scanning Microscopy in Biomedical Research

1968 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 354-355
Author(s):  
T. L. Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dental Enamel ◽  
Resolving Power ◽  
Whole Mount ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Content Information ◽  
Sectioned Tissue

Biomedical applications of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) have increased in number quite rapidly over the last several years. Studies have been made of cells, whole mount tissue, sectioned tissue, particles, human chromosomes, microorganisms, dental enamel and skeletal material. Many of the advantages of using this instrument for such investigations come from its ability to produce images that are high in information content. Information about the chemical make-up of the specimen, its electrical properties and its three dimensional architecture all may be represented in such images. Since the biological system is distinctive in its chemistry and often spatially scaled to the resolving power of the SEM, these images are particularly useful in biomedical research.In any form of microscopy there are two parameters that together determine the usefulness of the image. One parameter is the size of the volume being studied or resolving power of the instrument and the other is the amount of information about this volume that is displayed in the image. Both parameters are important in describing the performance of a microscope. The light microscope image, for example, is rich in information content (chemical, spatial, living specimen, etc.) but is very limited in resolving power.

Detection and mapping of interactions between chromatin and the nuclear envelope in drosophila embryos

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 764-765
Author(s):  
W.F. Marshall ◽  
A.F. Dernburg ◽  
B. Harmon ◽  
J.W. Sedat
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Chromatin Condensation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Nuclear Surface ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Molecular Determinants ◽  
Surface Harmonic ◽  
Drosophila Embryos

Interactions between chromatin and nuclear envelope (NE) have been implicated in chromatin condensation, gene regulation, nuclear reassembly, and organization of chromosomes within the nucleus. To further investigate the physiological role played by such interactions, it will be necessary to determine which loci specifically interact with the nuclear envelope. This will not only facilitate identification of the molecular determinants of this interaction, but will also allow manipulation of the pattern of chromatin-NE interactions to probe possible functions. We have developed a microscopic approach to detect and map chromatin-NE interactions inside intact cells.Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is used to localize specific chromosomal regions within the nucleus of Drosophila embryos and anti-lamin immunofluorescence is used to detect the nuclear envelope. Widefield deconvolution microscopy is then used to obtain a three-dimensional image of the sample (Fig. 1). The nuclear surface is represented by a surface-harmonic expansion (Fig 2). A statistical test for association of the FISH spot with the surface is then performed.

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