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Unraveling heterochromatin

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Using immunological and cytological approaches, researchers are beginning to reveal the complex molecular components of transcriptionally inert, pericentric heterochromatin. A new study shows that histone modifications and a non-Xist RNA component have essential structural roles in maintaining the tight organization of this type of chromatin.

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Figure 1: Recognition of distinct higher-order H3 lysine 9 (Lys9) methylation states in chromatin.
Figure 2: Pericentric heterochromatin contains a novelRNA structural component.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    Scott D. Briggs

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Brian D. Strahl

Authors
  1. Scott D. Briggs
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  2. Brian D. Strahl
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Briggs, S., Strahl, B. Unraveling heterochromatin. Nat Genet 30, 241–242 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0302-241

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