A DNA element that remembers winter

Nature Genetics 48, 1451 (2016). doi:10.1038/ng.3727 Authors: Chenlong Li & Yuhai Cui Polycomb-mediated silencing of the floral repressor gene FLC in response to long-term cold is a central event during vernalization in Arabidopsis thaliana, but how it is initiated is unclear. Two new studies identify a DNA element that mediates FLC silencing by attracting a pair of transcriptional repressors, VAL1 and VAL2, which in turn trigger epigenetic silencing by the Polycomb complex PHD–PRC2.
Source: Nature Genetics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: News and Views Source Type: research