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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
Switching between Epigenetic States at Pericentromeric Heterochromatin
1Biology of Repetitive Sequences, CNRS UPR1142, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34000 Montpellier, France.
Abstract:
Pericentromeric DNA represents a large fraction of the mammalian genome that is usually assembled into heterochromatin. Recent advances have revealed that the composition of pericentromeric heterochromatin is surprisingly dynamic. Indeed, high levels of histone H3 trimethylation on lysine 9 (H3K9me3) and DNA methylation normally characterize the repressive environment of this region. However, in specific tissues and in cancer cells, Polycomb proteins can occupy pericentromeric heterochromatin and act as a molecular sink for transcriptional regulators. Restoring heterochromatin methylation marks could, thus, be an important way to bring back normal gene expression programs in disease. Here, I discuss the potential mechanisms by which Polycomb complexes are recruited to pericentromeric DNA.
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