title: Facultative heterochromatin: is there a distinctive molecular signature?
abstract: The Latin word "facultas" literally means "opportunity." Facultative heterochromatin (fHC) then designates genomic regions in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell that have the opportunity to adopt open or compact conformations within temporal and spatial contexts. This review focuses on the molecular and functional aspects of fHC that distinguish it from constitutive heterochromatin (cHC) and euchromatin (EC) and discusses various concepts regarding the regulation of fHC structure. We begin by revisiting the historical developments that gave rise to our current appreciation of fHC.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University Medical School, 522 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Trojer
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reinberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020868:Gene Silencing; D016678:Genome; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin; D006657:Histones