Identification of mutants defective in H3K27 methylation in Neurospora crassa

H3K27 methylation is a repressive histone modification that has important roles in development and disease. Here we utilized the model organism, Neurospora crassa, to identify novel regulators of H3K27 methylation using a forward genetics approach. A strain of N. crassa bearing two silenced antibiotic resistance markers (NCU05173::hph and NCU07152::nat-1) in H3K27 methylated regions of the genome was exposed to UV mutagenesis and mutants defective in H3K27me-mediated silencing were selected on antibiotic containing media. The resulting mutants, which were in an Oakridge genetic background, were crossed to a genetically polymorphic Mauriceville strain to allow for SNP mapping of the causative mutation. Progeny of these crosses that were resistant to hygromycin and/or nourseothricin (and therefore contained the causative mutation to allow for resistance marker expression) were pooled and sequenced. This project contains sequencing reads for two of the mutant progeny.