Shaffer Christopher D, Stephens Gena E, Thompson Brandi A, Funches Levi, Bernat John A, Craig Carolyn A, Elgin Sarah C R
Department of Biology, Washington University, CB-1229, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 29;99(22):14332-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.212458899. Epub 2002 Oct 10.
Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, is a highly conserved chromosomal protein implicated in both heterochromatin formation and gene silencing. We report here characterization of an HP1-interacting protein, heterochromatin protein 2 (HP2), which codistributes with HP1 in the pericentric heterochromatin. HP2 is a large protein with two major isoforms of approximately 356 and 176 kDa. The smaller isoform is produced from an alternative splicing pattern in which two exons are skipped. Both isoforms contain the domain that interacts with HP1; the larger isoform contains two AT-hook motifs. Mutations recovered in HP2 act as dominant suppressors of position effect variegation, confirming a role in heterochromatin spreading and gene silencing.
异染色质蛋白1(HP1)最初在黑腹果蝇中发现,是一种高度保守的染色体蛋白,与异染色质形成和基因沉默均有关联。我们在此报告一种与HP1相互作用的蛋白——异染色质蛋白2(HP2)的特征,它与HP1在着丝粒周围异染色质中共分布。HP2是一种大型蛋白,有两种主要的异构体,大小约为356 kDa和176 kDa。较小的异构体由一种可变剪接模式产生,其中两个外显子被跳过。两种异构体都含有与HP1相互作用的结构域;较大的异构体含有两个AT钩基序。在HP2中发现的突变可作为位置效应斑驳的显性抑制因子,证实其在异染色质扩展和基因沉默中的作用。