title: Less is more: specification of the germline by transcriptional repression.
abstract: In animals, the germline is the only lineage that transmits genetic information to the next generation. Although the founder cells of this lineage are specified differently in invertebrates and vertebrates, recent studies have shown that germline specification in C. elegans, Drosophila and mouse depends on the global inhibition of mRNA transcription. Different strategies are used in each organism, but remarkably most target the same two processes: transcriptional elongation and chromatin remodeling. This convergence suggests that a repressed genome is essential to preserve the unique developmental potential of the germline.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Germline Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan. akiran@cdb.riken.jp
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Seydoux
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D019070:Cell Lineage; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors