To maintain a particular cell fate, a unique set of genes should be expressed while another set is repressed. One way to repress gene expression is through Polycomb group (PcG) proteins that compact chromatin into a silent configuration. In addition to cell fate maintenance, PcG proteins also maintain normal cell physiology, for example cell cycle. In the absence of PcG, ectopic activation of t...

Non-coding (nc) RNAs are involved both in recruitment of vertebrate Polycomb (PcG) proteins to chromatin, and in activation of PcG target genes. Here we investigate dynamic changes in the relationship between ncRNA transcription and recruitment of PcG proteins to chromatin during differentiation. Profiling of purified cell populations from different stages of a defined murine in vitro neural di...

Polycomb group (PcG) genes of Drosophila are negative regulators of homeotic gene expression required for maintenance of determination. Sequence similarity between Polycomb and Su(var)205 led to the suggestion that PcG genes and modifiers of position-effect variegation (PEV) might function analogously in the establishment of chromatin structure. If PcG proteins participate directly in the same ...

Polycomb group (PcG) genes encode chromatin modifiers that are involved in the maintenance of cell identity and in proliferation, processes that are often deregulated in cancer. Interestingly, besides a role in epigenetic gene silencing, recent studies have begun to uncover a function for PcG proteins in the cellular response to DNA damage. In particular, PcG proteins have been shown to accumul...

In Drosophila, relocation of a euchromatic gene near centromeric or telomeric heterochromatin often leads to its mosaic silencing. Nevertheless, modifiers of centromeric silencing do not affect telomeric silencing, suggesting that each location requires specific factors. Previous studies suggest that a subset of Polycomb-group (PcG) proteins could be responsible for telomeric silencing. Here, w...

The polycomb group (PcG) genes encode a family of proteins that methylate and ubiquitinate histones to close chromatin and suppress gene expression. PcG proteins are present at elevated levels in cancer cells, and this is associated with reduced tumor suppressor protein level and enhanced cell survival. Agents that reduce PcG protein level are regarded as potentially cancer-preventative agents....

A sizeable fraction of eukaryotic genomes is regulated by Polycomb group (PcG) and trithorax group (trxG) proteins, which play key roles in epigenetic repression and activation, respectively. In Drosophila melanogaster, homeotic genes are well-documented PcG targets; they are known to contain cis-acting elements termed Polycomb response elements (PREs), which bind PcG proteins and satisfy three...

The highly homologous Rnf2 (Ring1b) and Ring1 (Ring1a) proteins were identified as in vivo interactors of the Polycomb Group (PcG) protein Bmi1. Functional ablation of Rnf2 results in gastrulation arrest, in contrast to relatively mild phenotypes in most other PcG gene null mutants belonging to the same functional group, among which is Ring1. Developmental defects occur in both embryonic and ex...

We introduce the concept of Procedural Content Generation via Knowledge Transformation (PCG-KT), a new lens and framework for characterizing PCG methods approaches in which content generation is enabled by process knowledge transformation -- transforming derived from one domain order to apply it another. Our work motivated substantial number recent works that focus on generating novel repurposi...

Plasma cell granuloma (PCG) of the lung is a rare disease that usually presents as a pulmonary nodule or mass on incidental radiographic examination without symptoms. Although the etiology of PCG is still controversial, many findings have lent support to the lesion being a reactive inflammatory process rather than a neoplastic one. We describe a 53-yr-old male who presented with a hemoptysis an...