| First Author | Akasaka T | Year | 1997 |
| Journal | Immunity | Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 135-46 |
| PubMed ID | 9252126 | Mgi Jnum | J:42038 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:894973 | Doi | 10.1016/s1074-7613(00)80516-6 |
| Citation | Akasaka T, et al. (1997) The role of mel-18, a mammalian Polycomb group gene, during IL-7-dependent proliferation of lymphocyte precursors. Immunity 7(1):135-46 |
| abstractText | mel-18 is a mammalian homolog of Drosophila melanogaster Polycomb group genes. Mice lacking the mel-18 gene show a posterior transformation of the axial skeleton, severe combined immunodeficiency, and a food-passing disturbance in the lower intestine due to hypertrophy of the smooth muscle layer. In this study, the severe combined immunodeficiency observed in mel-18 mutant mice is correlated with the impaired mitotic response of lymphocyte precursors upon interleukin-7 stimulation. Strikingly, the axial skeleton and lymphoid phenotypes are identical in both mel-18 and bmi-1 mutants, indicating that the Mel-18 and Bmi-1 gene products might act in the same genetic cascade. These results suggest that mammalian Polycomb group gene products are involved in cell cycle progression in the immune system. |
