Evolutionarily ancient BAH-PHD protein mediates Polycomb silencing in Neurospora crassa
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Here we utilize a forward genetics approach in Neurospora crassa to identify novel effectors of Polycomb repression. We recovered several mutant alleles of a gene (NCU07505),which we deemed effector of Polycomb repression 1 (epr-1), encoding a protein with a bromo-adjacent homology (BAH) domain and plant homeodomain (PHD) finger. Although epr-1mutants display phenotypic and gene expression changes similar to strains lacking PRC2 components, H3K27 methylation is notably unaffected. We demonstrate that EPR-1 forms nuclear foci, reminiscent of Polycomb bodies {Pirrotta:2012br}, and its genomic distribution is limited to and dependent upon H3K27-methylated chromatin, which it recognizes through its BAH domain. Finally, we discover that EPR-1 homologs are widely distributed across eukaryotes, contrary to previous reports {LopezGonzalez:2014id, Li:2018kg}, suggesting an ancient role of EPR-1 homologs in Polycomb repression that was secondarily lost in select lineages.
ORGANISM(S): Neurospora crassa
PROVIDER: GSE128317 | GEO | 2020/04/15
REPOSITORIES: GEO
ACCESS DATA