Wallrath L L
Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 1998 Apr;8(2):147-53. doi: 10.1016/s0959-437x(98)80135-4.
The function of heterochromatin has not been well understood. Recent studies, however, demonstrate that heterochromatin is essential for proper chromosome behavior. The silencing of euchromatic genes by heterochromatin has been exploited to understand the molecular nature of heterochromatin. Mutations that either suppress or enhance gene silencing exist within chromatin structural proteins and modifying enzymes. Interactions between some of these proteins have been demonstrated, suggesting a complicated picture of heterogeneous silencing complexes that are counteracted by protein-modifying machinery.
异染色质的功能尚未得到很好的理解。然而，最近的研究表明，异染色质对于正常的染色体行为至关重要。异染色质对常染色质基因的沉默作用已被用于了解异染色质的分子本质。在染色质结构蛋白和修饰酶中存在抑制或增强基因沉默的突变。已经证明了其中一些蛋白质之间的相互作用，这表明存在由蛋白质修饰机制抵消的异质性沉默复合物的复杂情况。
