Abstract

In recent years, the Polycomb group (PcG) of proteins has been revealed to be involved in the regulation of hematologic stem cell function and differentiation and have been broadly linked to hematologic malignancies. Polycomb proteins are histone modifiers that contain two multi-protein complexes: Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 and 2 (PRC1 and PRC2). As each PcG gene present multiple orthologs, distinct PRC1 and PRC2 sub-complexes exist in different differentiation stage and tissues. Aberrant expression or mutation of individual PcG gene is likely to result in alteration of the PRC composition that is crucial for its enzymatic activity and target selectivity. Considering the dramatically increasing data on the regulation and functions of polycomb proteins, this review focuses on hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies.

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