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Visit our Expo - Redox and Inflammation signaling 2012

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Talking to chromatin: Silencers Silenced.<br />

Jan Willem Voncken<br />

Div. Molecular Genetics, University of Maastricht, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER,<br />

Maastricht, The Netherl<strong>and</strong>s. Email: w.voncken@molgen.unimaas.nl<br />

Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins modify chromatin structure. Best known for their ability to<br />

maintain transcriptional silencing, PcG proteins are critically involved in many other<br />

important biological processes, ranging from X-chromosome inactivation to stem cell<br />

regeneration. The molecular mechanisms involved in PcG-directed chromatin modification<br />

repression are starting to unravel. Functional regulation of PcG-proteins is poorly understood.<br />

We previously found hat PcG-complexes are phosphorylated <strong>and</strong> dissociate from chromatin<br />

in vivo in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Recent evidence from <strong>our</strong> lab suggests that PcG<br />

proteins are phosphorylated in response to cell signalling independent of cell cycleprogression.<br />

This link suggests a novel mechanism by which PcG-mediated gene silencing<br />

can be dynamically modulated. The implications of <strong>our</strong> findings will be discussed.<br />

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