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Unraveling heterochromatin

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

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