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PRC2 functions in development and congenital disorders

Orla Deevy1, Adrian P Bracken2

  • 1Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Development (Cambridge, England)
|October 3, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) regulates development by methylating histone H3 lysine 27. Its loss causes developmental issues, and dysregulation links to human overgrowth syndromes.

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics and Chromatin Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a key epigenetic regulator.
  • PRC2 catalyzes histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) methylation, crucial for gene silencing.
  • Loss of PRC2 function leads to developmental abnormalities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in mammalian PRC2 activity.
  • To summarize phenotypes associated with PRC2 loss of function in mice.
  • To explore regulatory interplay and propose a model for overgrowth syndromes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of mammalian PRC2 function.
  • Analysis of mouse models with PRC2 loss of function.
  • Discussion of regulatory interactions with NSD1 and DNMT3A.

Main Results:

  • PRC2 is essential for normal development, with loss causing diverse phenotypes.
  • Interplay exists between PRC2-mediated modifications and other chromatin modifiers.
  • Dysregulation of modifications at intergenic regions is implicated in overgrowth syndromes.

Conclusions:

  • PRC2's role in development and disease is complex.
  • Interactions with other epigenetic modifiers fine-tune chromatin states.
  • A unified molecular model for phenotypically similar overgrowth syndromes is proposed.
Keywords:
DNMT3ANSD1PRC2Sotos syndromeTatton-Brown–Rahman syndromeWeaver syndrome

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