Polycomb-mediated genome architecture enables long-range spreading of H3K27 methylation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Kraft, K., Yost, K. E., Murphy, S. E., Magg, A., Long, Y., Corces, M. R., Granja, J. M., Wittler, L., Mundlos, S., Cech, T. R., Boettiger, A. N., Chang, H. Y. 2022; 119 (22): e2201883119

Abstract

SignificanceThe relationship between long-range Polycomb-associated chromatin contacts and the linear propagation of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) by Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is not well-characterized. Here, we nominate a role for developmental loci as genomic architectural elements that enable long-range spreading of H3K27me3. Polycomb-associated loops are disrupted upon loss of PRC2 binding and deletion of loop anchors results in alterations of H3K27me3 deposition and ectopic gene expression. These results suggest that Polycomb-mediated genome architecture is important for gene repression during embryonic development.

View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.2201883119

View details for PubMedID 35617427