CGC Bibliography Paper 3143

Chromatin silencing and the maintenance of a functional germline in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Kelly WG, Fire A

Medline:

98274204

Citation:

Development 125: 2451-2456 1998

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

mes-2 mes-3 mes-4 mes-6 let-858

Abstract:

The germline of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits a remarkable ability to specifically silence transgenic DNA. We have shown that this silencing mechanism is disrupted in animals mutant for the maternal effect sterile genes mes-2, mes-3, mes-4 and mes-6, The proteins encoded by mes-2 and mes-6 have been shown to be related to the Polycomb Group of transcriptional repressors (Holdeman, R., Nehrt, S. and Strome, S. (1998). Development 125, 2457-2467; Korf, I., Fan, F. and Strome, S. (1998), Development 125, 2469-2478). These results suggest that a genetic silencing process is essential for sustained germline function, and that this silencing is mediated, at least in part, by Polycomb Group proteins.