title: Mechanisms of transcriptional memory.
abstract: How can the same gene remember that it is 'off' in one cell lineage and 'on' in another? Studies of how homeotic genes are regulated in Drosophila melanogaster have uncovered a transcriptional maintenance system, encoded by the Polycomb and trithorax group genes, that preserves expression patterns across development. Here we try to formulate a broad framework for the types of molecular mechanism used by the Polycomb and trithorax proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Kingston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; C066770:Pc protein, Drosophila; D014157:Transcription Factors; C063460:Trl protein, Drosophila; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1