ZNF787 recognizes the core sequence of MIR element to regulate gene expression.

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Epigenetics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Zinc finger (ZNF) proteins are key DNA-binding transcriptional regulators.
• Many ZNF proteins, especially in repetitive genomic regions, remain functionally uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the function of ZNF787 in regulating gene expression.
• To investigate the mechanism by which ZNF787 controls transcription in repetitive genomic regions.

Main Methods:

• Identified ZNF787 binding motif within mammalian-wide interspersed repeats (MIRs).
• Investigated ZNF787 interaction with the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex.
• Performed ZNF787 depletion and genetic rescue experiments.
• Analyzed H3K27ac levels to assess transcriptional activity.

Main Results:

• ZNF787 specifically binds a conserved 9-bp core motif in MIRs.
• ZNF787 interacts with the NuRD complex.
• Depletion of ZNF787 causes de-repression of nearby genes and increased H3K27ac.
• The C2H2 zinc-finger domain of ZNF787 is crucial for repression.

Conclusions:

• ZNF787 acts as a transcriptional repressor by binding MIR elements and recruiting the NuRD complex.
• This mechanism mediates repeat-directed transcriptional silencing.
• Repetitive sequences can encode local epigenetic regulatory information, expanding the known functions of ZNF proteins.