Figure 1. Polycomb complex-mediated transcription repression.
Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) contains four core components. EZH2 (Enhancer-of-zeste homolog 2) is the catalytic sub-unit, whereas EED (Embryonic Ectoderm Development), SUZ12 (zinc finger) and RBAP46/48 (Retinoblastoma Binding Protein) contribute to improving EZH2 activity. PRC2 induces EZH2-mediated H3K27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) to repress its target genes. The H3K27me3 mark is recognized by the CBX subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1). Then, the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RING1A ubiquitinylates histone H2A at lysine 119, strengthening gene transcription repression.