A subset of Drosophila Myc sites remain associated with mitotic chromosomes colocalized with insulator proteins.

Abstract

Myc has been characterized as a transcription factor that activates expression of genes involved in pluripotency and cancer, and as a component of the replication complex. Here we find that Myc is present at promoters and enhancers of Drosophila melanogaster genes during interphase. Myc colocalizes with Orc2, which is part of the prereplication complex, during G1. As is the case in mammals, Myc associates preferentially with paused genes, suggesting that it may also be involved in the release of RNA polymerase II from the promoter-proximal pausing in Drosophila. Interestingly, about 40% of Myc sites present in interphase persists during mitosis. None of the Myc mitotic sites correspond to enhancers, and only some correspond to promoters. The rest of the mitotic Myc sites overlap with binding sites for multiple insulator proteins that are also maintained in mitosis. These results suggest alternative mechanisms to explain the role of Myc in pluripotency and cancer.