Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) role in skin epithelium development [Epi Eed cKO]

Polycomb repressive complexes (PRC) 1 and 2 are essential chromatin regulators of cell identity. PRC1, a dominant executer of Polycomb-mediated control, functions as multiple sub-complexes that possess catalytic-dependent H2AK119 mono-ubiquitination (H2AK119ub) and catalytic-independent activities. Here, we show that despite its well-established repressor functions, PRC1 binds to both silent and active genes. Through in vivo loss-of-function studies, we show that global PRC1 function is essential for skin development and stem cell (SC) specification. Newborn mouse epidermal cells were purified from Eed knock out and control mice. RNA from the sorted cells was analyzed by RNA-seq.