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Cell Fate and Developmental Regulation Dynamics by Polycomb Proteins and 3D Genome Architecture
Author(s) -
Loubiere Vincent,
Martinez AnneMarie,
Cavalli Giacomo
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201800222
Subject(s) - chromatin , epigenetics , cell fate determination , biology , polycomb group proteins , transcription factor , carcinogenesis , context (archaeology) , function (biology) , transcription (linguistics) , microbiology and biotechnology , chia pet , regulation of gene expression , cellular differentiation , computational biology , genetics , genome , gene , chromatin remodeling , repressor , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy
Targeted transitions in chromatin states at thousands of genes are essential drivers of eukaryotic development. Therefore, understanding the in vivo dynamics of epigenetic regulators is crucial for deciphering the mechanisms underpinning cell fate decisions. This review illustrates how, in addition to its cell memory function, the Polycomb group of transcriptional regulators orchestrates temporal, cell and tissue‐specific expression of master genes during development. These highly sophisticated developmental transitions are dependent on the context‐ and tissue‐specific assembly of the different types of Polycomb Group (PcG) complexes, which regulates their targeting and/or activities on chromatin. Here, an overview is provided of how PcG complexes function at multiple scales to regulate transcription, local chromatin environment, and higher order structures that support normal differentiation and are perturbed in tumorigenesis.