 Logo of embojLink to Publisher's site EMBO J. 2005 July 20;
24(14): 2613–2623. Published online 2005 June 30. doi: 
10.1038/sj.emboj.7600726 PMCID: PMC1176455    In Caenorhabditis
elegans, numerous ‘synMuv' (synthetic multivulval) genes encode
for chromatin-associated proteins involved in transcriptional
repression, including an orthologue of Rb and components of the
NuRD histone deacetylase complex. These genes antagonize Ras
signalling to prevent erroneous adoption of vulval fate. To
identify new components of this mechanism, we performed a
genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen. After RNAi of 16 757
genes, we found nine new synMuv genes. Based on predicted
functions and genetic epistasis experiments, we propose that at
least four post-translational modifications converge to inhibit
Ras-stimulated vulval development: sumoylation, histone tail
deacetylation, methylation, and acetylation. In addition, we
demonstrate a novel role for sumoylation in inhibiting
LIN-12/Notch signalling in the vulva. We furth