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Repeat mediating silencing: a common epigenetic mechanism in imprinting and position effect variegation

Reference	BBS/E/B/0000M042
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Wolf Reik
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Babraham Institute
Department	Babraham Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	96,232
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/01/2002
End date	28/02/2005
Duration	38 months

Abstract

The addition of small methyl groups to the DNA of vertebrates provides an important regulatory signal for gene expression. In general, methylation of DNA is associated with gene repression, but the opposite can also occur with particular regulatory sequences. Some of the enzymes that introduce methyl groups into DNA have been identified. But what is not clear is how these enzymes find specific targets in large DNA molecules, in order to methylate them. It has been hypothesized that short direct repeats in DNA can act to attract certain types of proteins (heterochromatin proteins) which in turn may attract the methylation machinery which then methylates adjacent DNA. We have developed a transgenic test system to test this idea. Preliminary results indicate indeed that short direct repeats can target DNA methylation to adjacent sequences.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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