Abstract
The Maternal-Effect Sterile (MES) proteins are essential for germline viability in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we report that MES-4, a SET-domain protein, binds to the autosomes but not to the X chromosomes. MES-2, MES-3, and MES-6 are required to exclude MES-4 and markers of active chromatin from the X chromosomes. These findings strengthen the emerging view that in the C. elegans germ line, the X chromosomes differ in chromatin state from the autosomes and are generally silenced. We propose that all four MES proteins participate in X-chromosome silencing, and that the role of MES-4 is to exclude repressors from the autosomes, thus enabling efficient repression of the Xs.
Publication types
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
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Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
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Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / chemistry
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
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Chromatin / metabolism*
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Chromosomes / metabolism
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Disorders of Sex Development
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Dosage Compensation, Genetic
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Embryo, Nonmammalian / metabolism
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Female
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
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Gene Silencing*
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Germ Cells / metabolism*
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Histones / metabolism
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Male
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Mitosis
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Nuclear Proteins / genetics
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Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
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Oocytes / metabolism
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Polycomb-Group Proteins
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Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
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X Chromosome / metabolism*
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Zinc Fingers
Substances
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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Chromatin
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Histones
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Mes-3 protein, C elegans
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Mes-4 protein, C elegans
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Nuclear Proteins
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Polycomb-Group Proteins
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mes-2 protein, C elegans
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mes-6 protein, C elegans