Genetic interactions and dosage effects of Polycomb group genes in mice

Abstract

In Drosophila and mouse, Polycomb group genes are involved in the maintenance of homeotic gene expression patterns throughout development. Here we report the skeletal phenotypes of compound mutants for two Polycomb group genes bmi1 and M33. We show that mice deficient for both bmi1 and M33 present stronger homeotic transformations of the axial skeleton as compared to each single Polycomb group mutant, indicating strong dosage interactions between those two genes. These skeletal transformations are accompanied with an enhanced shift of the anterior limit of expression of several Hox genes in the somitic mesoderm. Our results demonstrate that in mice the Polycomb group genes act in synergy to control the nested expression pattern of some Hox genes in somitic mesodermal tissues during development.

DNA elements tether canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 to human genes

“…PRC1 and RING-RYBP complexes can monoubiquitylate histone H2A at Lysine 119 although the former appears less active in reactions reconstituted in vitro (Gao et al, 2012; Rose et al, 2016; Taherbhoy et al, 2015). Multiple lines of evidence argue that canonical PRC1 is critical for repression of developmental genes (Akasaka et al, 2001; Bel et al, 1998; Isono et al, 2005; Jürgens, 1985; Oktaba et al, 2008; van der Lugt et al, 1994). To what extent the monoubiquitylation of H2A or various RING-RYBP complexes contribute to the repression is a subject of debate (Blackledge et al, 2020; Bonnet et al, 2022; Fursova et al, 2019; Illingworth et al, 2015; Lee et al, 2015; Pengelly et al, 2015; Scelfo et al, 2019; Tamburri et al, 2020).…”