CGC Bibliography Paper 5301

Regulation of the different chromatin states of autosomes and X chromosomes in the germ line of C. elegans.

Fong Y, Bender L, Wang W, Strome S

Medline:

12077420

Citation:

Science 296: 2235-2238 2002

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

mes-2 mes-3 mes-4 mes-6

Abstract:

The Maternal-Effect Sterile (MES) proteins are essential for germline viability in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we report that MES-4, a SET-domain protein, binds to the autosomes but not to the X chromosomes. MES-2, MES-3, and MES-6 are required to exclude MES-4 and markers of active chromatin from the X chromosomes. These findings strengthen the emerging view that in the C. elegans germ line, the X chromosomes differ in chromatin state from the autosomes and are generally silenced. We propose that all four MES proteins participate in X-chromosome silencing, and that the role of MES-4 is to exclude repressors from the autosomes, thus enabling efficient repression of the Xs.