RNA-seq analysis of Schwann cell knockout Bap1 and Kdm6b/Jmjd3

In particular, the Eed subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 is required to maintain repression of the injury program. Recently we have investigated the role of proteins that reverse polycomb repression : H3K27 demethylases and H2AK119ub1 deubiquitinases.

While deletion of the KDM6B/JMJD3 H3K27 demethylase showed no major effect on Schwann cells, the deletion of the BAP1 deubiquitinase for PRC1-mediated H2AK119 monoubiquitination led to a progressive neuropathy at later time points.The modest phenotypes observed above, led us to hypothesize that these erasers, while enzymatically distinct, may function redundantly in a common gene regulatory pathway.. To test the potentially redundant function of the BAP1 and KDM6B/JMJD3 polycomb erasers, a Schwann cell-specific deletion of Bap1 and Kdm6b revealed a dramatic early onset phenotype after Schwann cell-specific deletion of these two genes, including a dramatic loss of myelinated axons.