Nature Genetics 38, 700 - 705 (2006)
Published online: 28 May 2006; | doi:10.1038/ng1817
Genome-wide analysis of Polycomb targets in Drosophila melanogasterYuri B Schwartz1, Tatyana G Kahn1, David A Nix2, 4, Xiao-Yong Li2, Richard Bourgon3, Mark Biggin2
& Vincenzo Pirrotta11
Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA. 2
Berkeley Drosophila Transcription Network Project, Genomics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. 3
University of California, Berkeley, Department of Statistics, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. 4
Affymetrix, 6550 Vallejo Street, Emeryville, California 94608, USA.
Correspondence should be addressed to Vincenzo Pirrotta pirrotta@biology.rutgers.edu Polycomb group (PcG) complexes are multiprotein assemblages that bind to chromatin and establish chromatin states leading to epigenetic silencing1,
2. PcG proteins regulate homeotic genes in flies and vertebrates, but little is known about other PcG targets and the role of the PcG in development, differentiation and disease. Here, we determined the distribution of the PcG proteins PC, E(Z) and PSC and of trimethylation of histone H3 Lys27 (me3K27) in the D. melanogaster genome. At more than 200 PcG target genes, binding sites for the three PcG proteins colocalize to presumptive Polycomb response elements (PREs). In contrast, H3 me3K27 forms broad domains including the entire transcription unit and regulatory regions. PcG targets are highly enriched in genes encoding transcription factors, but they also include genes coding for receptors, signaling proteins, morphogens and regulators representing all major developmental pathways.
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