Architectural and Functional Diversity of Polycomb Group Response Elements in Drosophila

Overview

Journal Genetics

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Genetics

Date 2013 Aug 13

PMID 23934890

Citations 25

Authors

J Lesley Brown

Judith A Kassis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Polycomb group response elements (PREs) play an essential role in gene regulation by the Polycomb group (PcG) repressor proteins in Drosophila. PREs are required for the recruitment and maintenance of repression by the PcG proteins. PREs are made up of binding sites for multiple DNA-binding proteins, but it is still unclear what combination(s) of binding sites is required for PRE activity. Here we compare the binding sites and activities of two closely linked yet separable PREs of the Drosophila engrailed (en) gene, PRE1 and PRE2. Both PRE1 and PRE2 contain binding sites for multiple PRE-DNA-binding proteins, but the number, arrangement, and spacing of the sites differs between the two PREs. These differences have functional consequences. Both PRE1 and PRE2 mediate pairing-sensitive silencing of mini-white, a functional assay for PcG repression; however, PRE1 requires two binding sites for Pleiohomeotic (Pho), whereas PRE2 requires only one Pho-binding site for this activity. Furthermore, for full pairing-sensitive silencing activity, PRE1 requires an AT-rich region not found in PRE2. These two PREs behave differently in a PRE embryonic and larval reporter construct inserted at an identical location in the genome. Our data illustrate the diversity of architecture and function of PREs.

Citing Articles

Polycomb protein binding and looping in the ON transcriptional state.

Brown J, Zhang L, Rocha P, Kassis J, Sun M Sci Adv. 2024; 10(17):eadn1837.

PMID: 38657072 PMC: 11042752. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn1837.

Polycomb protein binding and looping mediated by Polycomb Response Elements in the ON transcriptional state.

Brown J, Zhang L, Rocha P, Kassis J, Sun M bioRxiv. 2023; .

PMID: 38076900 PMC: 10705551. DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.02.565256.

Context-dependent role of Pho binding sites in Polycomb complex recruitment in Drosophila.

Brown J, Price J, Erokhin M, Kassis J Genetics. 2023; 224(4).

PMID: 37216193 PMC: 10411561. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad096.

Crol contributes to PRE-mediated repression and Polycomb group proteins recruitment in Drosophila.

Erokhin M, Brown J, Lomaev D, Vorobyeva N, Zhang L, Fab L Nucleic Acids Res. 2023; 51(12):6087-6100.

PMID: 37140047 PMC: 10325914. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad336.

Recruitment to Chromatin of (GA)n-Associated Factors GAF and Psq in the Transgenic Model System Depends on the Presence of Architectural Protein Binding Sites.

Chetverina D, Gorbenko F, Lomaev D, Georgiev P, Erokhin M Dokl Biochem Biophys. 2022; 506(1):210-214.

PMID: 36303054 DOI: 10.1134/S1607672922050039.

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