The role of MORC3 in silencing transposable elements in mouse embryonic stem cells.
Varsha P DesaiJihed ChouarefHaoyu WuWilliam A PastorRyan L KanHarald M OeyZheng LiJamie HoKelly K D VonkDavid San Leon GranadoMichael A ChristopherAmander T ClarkSteven E JacobsenLucia DaxingerPublished in: Epigenetics & chromatin (2021)
Our results reveal MORC3 as a novel regulator of ERV silencing in mouse embryonic stem cells. The relatively minor changes of H3K9me3 in the Morc3 mutant suggests that MORC3 acts mainly downstream of, or in a parallel pathway with, the TRIM28/SETDB1 complex that deposits H3K9me3 at these loci. The increased chromatin accessibility of ERVs in the Morc3 mutant suggests that MORC3 may act at the level of chromatin compaction to effect TE silencing.