Functional characterization of heterochromatin protein HP1 gamma in mouse
GRABER, Céline
(2011)
Functional characterization of heterochromatin protein HP1 gamma in mouse.
Thèses de doctorat, Full text available as:
AbstractHP1 proteins are one of the main heterochromatin components. The molecular functions of these proteins have been well characterized but physiological roles of HP1γ are still unknown. In order to elucidate the in vivo functions of HP1γ, I have worked on the consequences of the inactivation of Cbx3 gene, coding for HP1γ, in a murine model. Although some observations remain to be fully established, the results of my work suggest that HP1γ exerts important functions in several physiological processes. We have shown the implication of this protein in several mechanisms of immune response : namely, HP1γ is essential for Th cells migration to spleen and for B cells development during final maturation stages. Furthermore, HP1γ plays a role in class switch recombination by promoting IgG1-expressing cells production. HP1γ is also required for spermatogenesis initiation and for mature spermatozoa release in seminiferous tubes lumen, and this protein seems to be involved in sub-nuclear organization of Sertoli cells. My results suggest that HP1γ, but not HP1α, allows the association of HP1β and TIF1β to heterochromatin, and that this recruitment allows to establish and/or maintain a specific sub-nuclear organization with functional implications. All in all, my results bring new evidences that HP1 family proteins have non-redundant functions in murine physiology.
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