Genome Regulation by Polycomb and Trithorax: 70 Years and Counting

• Published in: Cell Vol. 171; no. 1; pp. 34 - 57
• Main Authors: Schuettengruber, Bernd, Bourbon, Henri-Marc, Di Croce, Luciano, Cavalli, Giacomo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 21.09.2017; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; cancer; cellular memory; chromatin; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone - history; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone - metabolism; development; Embryonic Stem Cells - metabolism; epigenetics; Gene Expression Regulation; Genome; Genomics; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Life Sciences; Neoplasms - metabolism; nuclear architecture; polycomb; Polycomb-Group Proteins - history; Polycomb-Group Proteins - metabolism; transcription; transgenerational epigenetic inheritance; trithorax; nuclear architecture; transgenerational epigenetic inheritance; development; transcription; cellular memory; polycomb; cancer; chromatin; epigenetics; trithorax
• ISSN: 0092-8674; 1097-4172
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.002

Polycomb (PcG) and Trithorax (TrxG) group proteins are evolutionarily conserved chromatin-modifying factors originally identified as part of an epigenetic cellular memory system that maintains repressed or active gene expression states. Recently, they have been shown to globally control a plethora of cellular processes. This functional diversity is achieved by their ability to regulate chromatin at multiple levels, ranging from modifying local chromatin structure to orchestrating the three-dimensional organization of the genome. Understanding this system is a fascinating challenge of critical relevance for biology and medicine, since misexpression or mutation of multiple PcG components, as well as of TrxG members of the COMPASS family and of the SWI/SNF complex, is implicated in cancer and other diseases. Polycomb and Trithorax group proteins are chromatin-modifying factors that regulate a plethora of cellular processes, from modifying local chromatin structure to orchestrating the three-dimensional organization of the genome.