Mice deficient in the Polycomb repressor Bmi1 have a shortened lifespan and develop numerous abnormalities including defects in stem cell self-renewal and thymocyte maturation. Here it is demonstrated that cells derived from Bmi1−/− mice also show a marked elevation in the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, corresponding to the derepression of previously identified Polycomb target genes and sufficient to engage the DNA damage response pathway.
- Jie Liu
- Liu Cao
- Toren Finkel
