MORC proteins and epigenetic regulation

Abstract

Two recent studies in Arabidopsis implicated MORC proteins, which contain a GHKL ATPase domain, in transcriptional gene silencing. Here, these studies are compared and contrasted to discuss the roles of MORC proteins in epigenetic regulation. Although MORC proteins are likely to catalyze changes in chromatin structure in response to epigenetic signals, their precise mode of action and target site-specificity still remain unclear. © 2012 Landes Bioscience.