Roles of ErbB3-binding protein 1 (EBP1) in embryonic development and gene-silencing control

Significance Ebp1 deletion causes developmental defects with massive cell death and cessation of cell proliferation through dysregulation of epigenetic gene silencing unit, a Suv39H1/DNMT1 axis. Our study indicates that EBP1 regulates global gene expression via at least 2 mechnaisms. First, EBP1 acts as a transcriptional repressor for DNMT1 gene expression, allowing the escape of the repressive chromatin state. Second, EBP1 binds to the promoter region of the target gene inhibiting the association of DNMT1 with the downstream gene such as Survivin , regulating gene expression. Hence, these findings provide a molecular mechanism of how EBP1 functions in cell survival and transcriptional regulation by modulating epigenetic regulators during development.