Vertebrate diapause preserves organisms long term through Polycomb complex members
Chi‐Kuo Hu, Wei Wang, Julie Brind’Amour, Param Priya Singh, G. Reeves, Matthew C. Lorincz, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Anne Brunet
Abstract
), we show that diapause preserves complex organisms for extremely long periods of time without trade-offs for subsequent adult growth, fertility, and life span. Transcriptome analyses indicate that diapause is an active state, with dynamic regulation of metabolism and organ development genes. The most up-regulated genes in diapause include Polycomb complex members. The chromatin mark regulated by Polycomb, H3K27me3, is maintained at key developmental genes in diapause, and the Polycomb member CBX7 mediates repression of metabolism and muscle genes in diapause. CBX7 is functionally required for muscle preservation and diapause maintenance. Thus, vertebrate diapause is a state of suspended life that is actively maintained by specific chromatin regulators, and this has implications for long-term organism preservation.