Below, I listed relevant background reading material for our lab's work on canonical PRC1 in spermatogenesis (last updated 2024).
- Nucleosome compaction as a regulatory mechanism during development, Bob Kingston, CSHL Keynote (2016) YouTube
- Bob is my postdoctoral advisor. His talk was a while ago, but it still provides a relevant background for our lab's current thinking on the PRC1 function.
- The molecular principles of gene regulation by Polycomb repressive complexes, Blackledge and Klose (2021) Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol.
- This is my favorite recent review on the molecular mechanism of the Polycomb function.
- Context-specific Polycomb mechanisms in development, Kim and Kingston (2022) Nat Rev Genet.
- Bob and I tried to illustrate how the core Polycomb mechanisms are modified by changing its subunits and how those different complexes are utilized and repurposed in diverse biological contexts.
- Cell type-specific role of CBX2 and its disordered region in spermatogenesis, Kim, ..., Kingston (2023) Genes Dev.
- This is my postdoctoral work, characterizing CBX2, a component of cPRC1, function in spermatogenesis. It will be directly relevant to the lab's project in CBX7 in spermatogenesis.
- Compaction of chromatin by diverse Polycomb group proteins requires localized regions of high charge, Grau, ..., Kingston (2011) Genes Dev.
- This paper showed the chromatin compaction activity of CBX components of cPRC1. It also identified basic residues (Lysine, Arginine), and their positive charge are critical for the compaction activity.
- Nonoverlapping functions of the Polycomb group Cbx family of proteins in embryonic stem cells, Morey, ..., Di Croce (2012) Cell Stem Cell.
- This is one of the first papers showing CBX paralog switching during cellular differentiation (mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation).
- SAM domain polymerization links subnuclear clustering of PRC1 to gene silencing, Isono, ..., Koseki (2013) Dev Cell.
- This paper demonstrates the cellular and organismal function of the 'structural' activity of cPRC1 driven by the polymerization activity of the PHC subunit. One of my favorite Polycomb papers.
- List of landmark discoveries in the Polycomb and Trithorax field, Giacomo Cavalli Cavalli Lab Webpage
- For further reading - Giacomo Cavalli has an excellent list of landmark papers. Knowing the history of the field is as important as being up to date on the recent discoveries.
- Spermatogenesis: The Commitment to Meiosis, Michael Griswold, (2016) Physiol Rev.
- This review covers spermatogonial stem cells entering meiosis with the retinoic acid signal.
- Deciphering the mitotic and meiotic phases of spermatogenesis in the mouse, Katherine Romer, (2016) Doctoral thesis, MIT
- Chapter 1, Introduction: The first two parts, "Germ cell specification and differentiation of male and female gametes" and "Spermatogenesis," give a good overview of primordial germ cells to sperm differentiation.
- Gene regulation during meiosis, Gao, Qin, and Schimenti, (2024) Trends Genet.
- A timely review of gene regulation focused on mammalian male meiosis.
- Staging of Mouse Seminiferous Tubule Cross-Sections, Ahmed and de Rooij, (2009) Methods Mol Biol.
Assessment of Spermatogenesis Through Staging of Seminiferous Tubules, Meistrich and Hess, (2013) Methods Mol Biol.- It is critical to understand the cellular composition of the seminiferous tubules in different stages to evaluate the differentiation process in mice.
- Guidebook: Laboratory Mouse and Rat Colony Management, Pritchett-Corning, ..., Elder (2015) Charles River Laboratories
- This is a helpful guidebook for anyone who begins to work with mice.