JCB logo
CrossRef
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
Published online
doi:10.1083/jcb.200706053
The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 179, No. 2, 269-276
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $30.00
© Alexander et al.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF, 2941K)
Right arrow PPT slides of all figures
Right arrow Supplemental Material Index
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JCB
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Alexander, M. K.
Right arrow Articles by Panning, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Alexander, M. K.
Right arrow Articles by Panning, B.
Related Collections
Right arrowRelated In this Issue article
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Article

Differences between homologous alleles of olfactory receptor genes require the Polycomb Group protein Eed



Mary Kate Alexander1, Susanna Mlynarczyk-Evans1, Morgan Royce-Tolland1, Alex Plocik1, Sundeep Kalantry2, Terry Magnuson2, and Barbara Panning1

1 Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
2 Department of Genetics and Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599

Correspondence to Barbara Panning: bpanning{at}biochem.ucsf.edu

Anumber of mammalian genes are expressed from only one of the two homologous chromosomes, selected at random in each cell. These include genes subject to X-inactivation, olfactory receptor (OR) genes, and several classes of immune system genes. The means by which monoallelic expression is established are only beginning to be understood. Using a cytological assay, we show that the two homologous alleles of autosomal random monoallelic loci differ from each other in embryonic stem (ES) cells, before establishment of monoallelic expression. The Polycomb Group gene Eed is required to establish this distinctive behavior. In addition, we found that when Eed mutant ES cells are differentiated, they fail to establish asynchronous replication timing at OR loci. These results suggest a common mechanism for random monoallelic expression on autosomes and the X chromosome, and implicate Eed in establishing differences between homologous OR loci before and after differentiation.

S. Mlynarczyk-Evans' present address is Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.

Abbreviations used in this paper: ES cell, embryonic stem cell; MEF, mouse embryonic fibroblast; MeOH, methanol/acetic acid; OR, olfactory receptor; PFA, paraformaldehyde; SD, singlet/doublet; SIAR, singlet-doublet independent of asynchronous replication.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?

Related In this Issue article

A chromatin twist to silencing choice
Mitch Leslie
J. Cell Biol. 2007 179: 170. [Full Text] [PDF]



This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents