Drosophila Kismet Regulates Histone H3 Lysine 27 Methylation and Early Elongation by RNA Polymerase II
2008

How Kismet Affects Gene Expression in Drosophila

publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Srinivasan Shrividhya, Dorighi Kristel M., Tamkun John W.

Primary Institution: University of California Santa Cruz

Hypothesis

Kismet-L (KIS-L) activates gene expression and counteracts Polycomb group silencing.

Conclusion

KIS-L promotes early elongation and counteracts Polycomb group repression by recruiting histone methyltransferases to chromatin.

Supporting Evidence

  • KIS-L acts downstream of P-TEFb recruitment to stimulate elongation by Pol II.
  • Loss of kis function leads to increased levels of H3K27 methylation.
  • KIS-L is required for the recruitment of ASH1 and TRX to chromatin.

Takeaway

Kismet helps genes turn on and stay on by making sure the right proteins are in the right places to help with reading the DNA.

Methodology

The study involved analyzing defects from the loss of KIS-L function in Drosophila and examining the recruitment of transcription factors.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pgen.1000217

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