A Novel Human Polycomb Binding Site Acts As a Functional Polycomb Response Element in <em>Drosophila</em>

<div><p>Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are key chromatin regulators implicated in multiple processes including embryonic development, tissue homeostasis, genomic imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, and germ cell differentiation. The PcG proteins recognize target genomic loci through <em>cis</em> DNA sequences known as Polycomb Response Elements (PREs), which are well characterized in <em>Drosophila</em>. However, mammalian PREs have been elusive until two groups reported putative mammalian PREs recently. Consistent with the existence of mammalian PREs, here we report the identification and characterization of a potential PRE from human T cells. The putative human PRE has enriched binding of PcG proteins, and such binding is dependent on a key PcG component SUZ12. We demonstrate that the putative human PRE carries both genetic and molecular features of <em>Drosophila</em> PRE in transgenic flies, implying that not only the <em>trans</em> PcG proteins but also certain features of the <em>cis</em> PREs are conserved between mammals and <em>Drosophila</em>.</p>