The Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), initially identified in Drosophila several decades ago, was found to be a key controller of developmental genes. Subsequent research revealed that PRC2 alters chromatin structure to suppress the expression of specific genes.
This initial understanding of PRC2’s ancestral function — functioning primarily to control genes during development — was challenged when it was found to be active in unicellular organisms, in which no development takes place.
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