The DNA-binding polycomb group protein pleiohomeotic mediates silencing of a Drosophila homeotic gene

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (17) ◽  
pp. 3905-3913 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fritsch ◽  
J.L. Brown ◽  
J.A. Kassis ◽  
J. Muller
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Homeotic Gene ◽  
Homeotic Genes ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Group Protein

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins repress homeotic genes in cells where these genes must remain inactive during development. This repression requires cis-acting silencers, also called PcG response elements. Currently, these silencers are ill-defined sequences and it is not known how PcG proteins associate with DNA. Here, we show that the Drosophila PcG protein Pleiohomeotic binds to specific sites in a silencer of the homeotic gene Ultrabithorax. In an Ultrabithorax reporter gene, point mutations in these Pleiohomeotic binding sites abolish PcG repression in vivo. Hence, DNA-bound Pleiohomeotic protein may function in the recruitment of other non-DNA-binding PcG proteins to homeotic gene silencers.

scholarly journals The iab-7 Polycomb Response Element Maps to a Nucleosome-Free Region of Chromatin and Requires Both GAGA and Pleiohomeotic for Silencing Activity

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1311-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh K. Mishra ◽  
Jozsef Mihaly ◽  
Stéphane Barges ◽  
Annick Spierer ◽  
François Karch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Sites ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Gaga Factor ◽  
Response Element ◽  
Polycomb Response Element ◽  
Free Region ◽  
Group Protein

ABSTRACT In the work reported here we have undertaken a functional dissection of a Polycomb response element (PRE) from the iab-7 cis-regulatory domain of the Drosophila melanogasterbithorax complex (BX-C). Previous studies mapped the iab-7PRE to an 860-bp fragment located just distal to the Fab-7boundary. Located within this fragment is an ∼230-bp chromatin-specific nuclease-hypersensitive region called HS3. We have shown that HS3 is capable of functioning as a Polycomb-dependent silencer in vivo, inducing pairing-dependent silencing of amini-white reporter. The HS3 sequence contains consensus binding sites for the GAGA factor, a protein implicated in the formation of nucleosome-free regions of chromatin, and Pleiohomeotic (Pho), a Polycomb group protein that is related to the mammalian transcription factor YY1. We show that GAGA and Pho interact with these sequences in vitro and that the consensus binding sites for the two proteins are critical for the silencing activity of theiab-7 PRE in vivo.

The Drosophila Polycomb Group proteins ESC and E(Z) bind directly to each other and co-localize at multiple chromosomal sites

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (17) ◽  
pp. 3483-3496 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Tie ◽  
T. Furuyama ◽  
P.J. Harte
Keyword(s):  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Homeotic Genes ◽  
Polycomb Group Proteins ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Polycomb Group Genes ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Group Protein ◽  
Essential Prerequisite

The Polycomb Group gene esc encodes an evolutionarily conserved protein required for transcriptional silencing of the homeotic genes. Unlike other Polycomb Group genes, esc is expressed and apparently required only during early embryogenesis, suggesting it is required for the initial establishment of silencing but not for its subsequent maintenance. We present evidence that the ESC protein interacts directly with E(Z), another Polycomb Group protein required for silencing of the homeotic genes. We show that the most highly conserved region of ESC, containing seven WD motifs that are predicted to fold into a beta-propeller structure, mediate its binding to a conserved N-terminal region of E(Z). Mutations in the WD region that perturb ESC silencing function in vivo also perturb binding to E(Z) in vitro. The entire WD region forms a trypsin-resistant structure, like known beta -propeller domains, and mutations that would affect the predicted ESC beta-propeller perturb its trypsin-resistance, while a putative structure-conserving mutation does not. We show by co-immunoprecipitation that ESC and E(Z) are directly associated in vivo and that they also co-localize at many chromosomal binding sites. Since E(Z) is required for binding of other Polycomb Group proteins to chromosomes, these results suggest that formation of an E(Z):ESC complex at Polycomb Response Elements may be an essential prerequisite for the establishment of silencing.

scholarly journals Characterization of Interactions between the Mammalian Polycomb-Group Proteins Enx1/EZH2 and EED Suggests the Existence of Different Mammalian Polycomb-Group Protein Complexes

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3586-3595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. A. B. Sewalt ◽  
Johan van der Vlag ◽  
Marco J. Gunster ◽  
Karien M. Hamer ◽  
Jan L. den Blaauwen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Group Protein ◽  
Nuclear Domains ◽  
Z Protein

ABSTRACT In Drosophila melanogaster, thePolycomb-group (PcG) andtrithorax-group (trxG) genes have been identified as repressors and activators, respectively, of gene expression. Both groups of genes are required for the stable transmission of gene expression patterns to progeny cells throughout development. Several lines of evidence suggest a functional interaction between the PcG and trxG proteins. For example, genetic evidence indicates that the enhancer of zeste [E(z)] gene can be considered both a PcG and a trxGgene. To better understand the molecular interactions in which the E(z) protein is involved, we performed a two-hybrid screen with Enx1/EZH2, a mammalian homolog of E(z), as the target. We report the identification of the human EED protein, which interacts with Enx1/EZH2. EED is the human homolog ofeed, a murine PcG gene which has extensive homology with the Drosophila PcG gene extra sex combs(esc). Enx1/EZH2 and EED coimmunoprecipitate, indicating that they also interact in vivo. However, Enx1/EZH2 and EED do not coimmunoprecipitate with other human PcG proteins, such as HPC2 and BMI1. Furthermore, unlike HPC2 and BMI1, which colocalize in nuclear domains of U-2 OS osteosarcoma cells, Enx1/EZH2 and EED do not colocalize with HPC2 or BMI1. Our findings indicate that Enx1/EZH2 and EED are members of a class of PcG proteins that is distinct from previously described human PcG proteins.

scholarly journals pipsqueak Encodes a Factor Essential for Sequence-Specific Targeting of a Polycomb Group Protein Complex

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 6261-6271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Der-Hwa Huang ◽  
Yuh-Long Chang ◽  
Chih-Chao Yang ◽  
I-Ching Pan ◽  
Balas King
Keyword(s):  
Protein Complex ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Binding Activity ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Homeotic Genes ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Gaga Factor ◽  
Dna Binding Activity ◽  
Group Protein ◽  
Functional Relevance

ABSTRACT The Polycomb (Pc) group (Pc-G) of repressors is essential for transcriptional silencing of homeotic genes that determine the axial development of metazoan animals. It is generally believed that the multimeric complexes formed by these proteins nucleate certain chromatin structures to silence promoter activity upon binding to Pc-G response elements (PRE). Little is known, however, about the molecular mechanism involved in sequence-specific binding of these complexes. Here, we show that an immunoaffinity-purified Pc protein complex contains a DNA binding activity specific to the (GA) n motif in a PRE from the bithoraxoid region. We found that this activity can be attributed primarily to the large protein isoform encoded by pipsqueak (psq) instead of to the well-characterized GAGA factor. The functional relevance of psq to the silencing mechanism is strongly supported by its synergistic interactions with a subset of Pc-G that cause misexpression of homeotic genes.

scholarly journals SUMO modification is required for in vivo Hox gene regulation by the Caenorhabditis elegans Polycomb group protein SOP-2

2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 507-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Gromoslaw A Smolen ◽  
Rachel Palmer ◽  
Andrea Christoforou ◽  
Sander van den Heuvel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Hox Gene ◽  
Sumo Modification ◽  
Group Protein

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 Global changes of H3K27me3 domains and Polycomb group protein distribution in the absence of recruiters Spps or Pho

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (8) ◽  
pp. E1839-E1848 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lesley Brown ◽  
Ming-an Sun ◽  
Judith A. Kassis
Keyword(s):  
Binding Sites ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Polycomb Group ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Polycomb Group Protein ◽  
Protein Distribution ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Group Protein ◽  
Polycomb Response Elements ◽  
Active Genes

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain the silenced state of key developmental genes in animals, but how these proteins are recruited to specific regions of the genome is still poorly understood. In Drosophila, PcG proteins are recruited to Polycomb response elements (PREs) that include combinations of sites for sequence specific DNA binding “PcG recruiters,” including Pho, Cg, and Spps. To understand their roles in PcG recruitment, we compared Pho-, Cg-, and Spps-binding sites against H3K27me3 and key PcG proteins by ChIP-seq in wild-type and mutant third instar larvae. H3K27me3 in canonical Polycomb domains is decreased after the reduction of any recruiter. Reduction of Spps and Pho, but not Cg, causes the redistribution of H3K27me3 to heterochromatin. Regions with dramatically depleted H3K27me3 after Spps knockout are usually accompanied by decreased Pho binding, suggesting their cooperative binding. PcG recruiters, the PRC2 component E(z), and the PRC1 components Psc and Ph cobind thousands of active genes outside of H3K27me3 domains. This study demonstrates the importance of distinct PcG recruiters for the establishment of unique Polycomb domains. Different PcG recruiters can act both cooperatively and independently at specific PcG target genes, highlighting the complexity and diversity of PcG recruitment mechanisms.

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