Polycomb Group-mediated Histone H2A Monoubiquitination in Epigenome Regulation and Nuclear Processes

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2020 Nov 24

PMID 33230107

Citations 56

Authors

Haithem Barbour

Salima Daou

Michael Hendzel

El Bachir Affar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Histone posttranslational modifications are key regulators of chromatin-associated processes including gene expression, DNA replication and DNA repair. Monoubiquitinated histone H2A, H2Aub (K118 in Drosophila or K119 in vertebrates) is catalyzed by the Polycomb group (PcG) repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and reversed by the PcG-repressive deubiquitinase (PR-DUB)/BAP1 complex. Here we critically assess the current knowledge regarding H2Aub deposition and removal, its crosstalk with PcG repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated histone H3K27 methylation, and the recent attempts toward discovering its readers and solving its enigmatic functions. We also discuss mounting evidence of the involvement of H2A ubiquitination in human pathologies including cancer, while highlighting some knowledge gaps that remain to be addressed.

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