Pirrotta V
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Ernst Schering Res Found Workshop. 2006(57):97-113. doi: 10.1007/3-540-37633-x_6.
Polycomb complexes, best known for their role in the epigenetic silencing of homeotic genes, are now known to regulate a large number of functions in organisms from flies to man. They control transcription activators, pattern-forming genes, maintenance of stem cells and are implicated in cell proliferation and oncogenesis. Our understanding of Polycomb mechanisms derives principally from the study of homeotic genes in Drosophila, where they act in an all-or-none fashion to silence expression in inappropriate parts of the organism. This review summarizes what has been learned from homeotic genes and examines the possible extensions of Polycomb mechanisms to allow for dynamic regulatory behavior and the reprogramming of silenced chromatin states.
多梳复合体因在同源异型基因的表观遗传沉默中所起的作用而最为人所知，现在已知它能调控从果蝇到人类等生物体中的大量功能。它们控制转录激活因子、模式形成基因、干细胞的维持，并与细胞增殖和肿瘤发生有关。我们对多梳机制的理解主要源于对果蝇同源异型基因的研究，在果蝇中，它们以全或无的方式起作用，使生物体不适当部位的基因表达沉默。这篇综述总结了从同源异型基因中学到的知识，并探讨了多梳机制可能的扩展，以实现动态调控行为和沉默染色质状态的重编程。
