title: Transcriptional silencing by polycomb-group proteins.
abstract: Polycomb-group (PcG) genes encode chromatin proteins involved in stable and heritable transcriptional silencing. PcG proteins participate in distinct multimeric complexes that deposit, or bind to, specific histone modifications (e.g., H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub1) to prevent gene activation and maintain repressed chromatin domains. PcG proteins are evolutionary conserved and play a role in processes ranging from vernalization and seed development in plants, over X-chromosome inactivation in mammals, to the maintenance of stem cell identity. PcG silencing is medically relevant as it is often observed in human disorders, including cancer, and tissue regeneration, which involve the reprogramming of PcG-controlled target genes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Biology and Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zürich, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ueli
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Grossniklaus
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D020868:Gene Silencing; D008957:Models, Genetic; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins