title: The role of mel-18, a mammalian Polycomb group gene, during IL-7-dependent proliferation of lymphocyte precursors.
abstract: mel-18 is a mammalian homolog of Drosophila melanogaster Polycomb group genes. Mice lacking the mel-18 gene show a posterior transformation of the axial skeleton, severe combined immunodeficiency, and a food-passing disturbance in the lower intestine due to hypertrophy of the smooth muscle layer. In this study, the severe combined immunodeficiency observed in mel-18 mutant mice is correlated with the impaired mitotic response of lymphocyte precursors upon interleukin-7 stimulation. Strikingly, the axial skeleton and lymphoid phenotypes are identical in both mel-18 and bmi-1 mutants, indicating that the Mel-18 and Bmi-1 gene products might act in the same genetic cascade. These results suggest that mammalian Polycomb group gene products are involved in cell cycle progression in the immune system.
authors.affiliation: Core Research for Evolution Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, and Division of Molecular Immunology, Center for Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Chiba University.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawahira
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harigaya
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ebihara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakahata
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tetsu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koseki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002455:Cell Division; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005838:Genotype; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015851:Interleukin-7; C066476:Pcgf6 protein, mouse; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1