title: Gene silencing and Polycomb group proteins: an overview of their structure, mechanisms and phylogenetics.
abstract: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and chromatin configuration are crucially important in the regulation of gene expression. Among these epigenetic mechanisms, silencing the expression of certain genes depending on developmental stage and tissue specificity is a key repressive system in genome programming. Polycomb (Pc) proteins play roles in gene silencing through different mechanisms. These proteins act in complexes and govern the histone methylation profiles of a large number of genes that regulate various cellular pathways. This review focuses on two main Pc complexes, Pc repressive complexes 1 and 2, and their phylogenetic relationship, structures, and function. The dynamic roles of these complexes in silencing will be discussed herein, with a focus on the recruitment of Pc complexes to target genes and the key factors involved in their recruitment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ugreenk@gmail.com
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Golbabapour
authors.forename: Nazia Abdul
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Majid
authors.forename: Pouya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hassandarvish
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajrezaie
authors.forename: Mahmood Ameen
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abdulla
authors.forename: A Hamid A
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hadi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D022661:RNA, Untranslated