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Imprinting a determined state into the chromatin of Drosophila

Trends in GeneticsPublished 1 January 1990
Renato Paro
Citations391
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score3.93
SNIP2.86

TL;DR

The Polycomb gene of Drosophila melanogaster is a member of a class of genes involved in the clonal transmission of the repressed state of bomeotic regulatory genes through development, and genetic evidence suggests that this mechanism of repression might be imprinted in the structure of the chromatin.

Abstract

The Polycomb gene of Drosophila melanogaster is a member of a class of genes involved in the clonal transmission of the repressed state of bomeotic regulatory genes through development. Genetic evidence, and the finding of a molecular similarity between the Polycomb protein and a heterochromatin-associated protein of Drosophila, suggest that this mechanism of repression might be imprinted in the structure of the chromatin, rather than being sustained through the action of diffusible regulatory factors.

Keywords

Agricultural and Biological SciencesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology