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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

A Screening Method for Identification of Heterochromatin-Promoting Drugs Using Drosophila
Published on: March 12, 2020
The contradictory definitions of heterochromatin: transcription and silencing
Kathryn L Huisinga1, Brent Brower-Toland, Sarah C R Elgin
1Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA.
Abstract:
Eukaryotic genomes are packaged in two general varieties of chromatin: gene-rich euchromatin and gene-poor heterochromatin. Each type of chromatin has been defined by the presence of distinct chromosomal proteins and posttranslational histone modifications. This review addresses recent findings that appear to blur the definitions of euchromatin and heterochromatin by pointing to the presence of typically heterochromatic modifications (including H3K9me) in euchromatin and typically euchromatic enzymes (including RNA polymerases) in heterochromatin. We discuss the implications of these new findings for the current definition of heterochromatin.
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