Project description:Position-effect variegation (PEV) is the stochastic transcriptional silencing of a gene positioned adjacent to heterochromatin. white-mottled X-chromosomal inversions in Drosophila are classic PEV models that show variegation of the eye color gene white due to its relocation next to pericentric heterochromatin. To obtain insight into the mechanism of PEV, we constructed detailed binding maps of Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1), a major component of heterochromatin, on white-mottled chromosomes. We find that HP1 invades euchromatin across the inversion breakpoints over ~175kb and ~30kb, causing de novo association of HP1 with 20 genes. However, HP1 binding levels in these regions show substantial local variation; white is most strongly bound by HP1 and is one of only two genes that are substantially repressed by heterochromatin. HP1 binding to the invaded region is exceptionally sensitive to the dosage of the histone methyltransferase Su(var)3-9, indicating that the de novo formed heterochromatin is relatively unstable. Our molecular maps demonstrate that heterochromatin can invade a normally euchromatic region, yet the strength of HP1 binding and effects on gene expression are highly dependent on local context. Keywords: DamID, gene expression, genetic modification.

2009-02-18 | GSE12395 | GEO

Evasterias troschelii

Project description:Evasterias troschelii (mottled star), eaEvaTros1

| PRJNA1131405 | ENA

ilAlcRepa

Project description:Alcis repandata (mottled beauty moth)

| PRJEB58930 | ENA