Fencing the genome: ubiquitin signaling restricts heterochromatin spread

Abstract

In a recent study published in Science, Tiebang Kang and his colleagues¹ identify ASB7 as a key negative regulator of heterochromatin maintenance through targeted degradation of the H3K9me3 methyltransferase SUV39H1. The work uncovers a cell cycle-regulated chromatin-associated ubiquitin ligase circuit that maintains epigenetic homeostasis and reveals a novel vulnerability in cancer that may be exploited therapeutically.