esc extra sexcombs [Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly)] - Gene

Summary

Official Symbol: escprovided by FlyBase
Official Full Name: extra sexcombsprovided by FlyBase
Primary source: FLYBASE:FBgn0000588
Locus tag: Dmel_CG14941
See related: AllianceGenome:FB:FBgn0000588
Gene type: protein coding
RefSeq status: REVIEWED
Organism: Drosophila melanogaster
Lineage: Eukaryota; Metazoa; Ecdysozoa; Arthropoda; Hexapoda; Insecta; Pterygota; Neoptera; Endopterygota; Diptera; Brachycera; Muscomorpha; Ephydroidea; Drosophilidae; Drosophila; Sophophora
Also known as: CG14941; dESC; Dmel\CG14941; Esc; ESC; L41867; sc
Summary: Enables enzyme activator activity. Contributes to nucleosome binding activity. Involved in anterior/posterior axis specification; facultative heterochromatin formation; and regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Located in nucleus and polytene chromosome. Part of ESC/E(Z) complex. Is expressed in embryonic brain; germ band; neuroblasts; organism; and testis. Orthologous to human EED (embryonic ectoderm development). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Jul 2025]
Orthologs: all
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Genomic context

Location:: 33A2-33A2; 2-45 cM

Exon count:: 4

Annotation release	Status	Assembly	Chr	Location
Release 6.54	current	Release 6 plus ISO1 MT (GCF_000001215.4)	2L	NT_033779.5 (11827204..11829405, complement)
Release 5.57	previous assembly	Release 5 (GCF_000001215.2)	2L	NT_033779.4 (11827204..11829405, complement)

Chromosome 2L - NT_033779.5 Genomic Context describing neighboring genes

Genomic regions, transcripts, and products

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Genomic Sequence:

Go to nucleotide: Graphics FASTA GenBank

Bibliography

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GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?

Extra sex combs buffers sleep-related stresses through regulating Heat shock proteins.
Title: Extra sex combs buffers sleep-related stresses through regulating Heat shock proteins.
The ESC is a key component of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which mediates H3K27me3 modification.
Title: The polycomb group mutant esc leads to augmented levels of paused Pol II in the Drosophila embryo.
analysis of the roles of ESC and ESCL in Polycomb Group mechanisms
Title: ESC, ESCL and their roles in Polycomb Group mechanisms.
A Pcl-PSC2 complex is the histone methyltransferase that generates the high levels of histone3-lysine27 trimethylation in Polycomb target genes that are needed to maintain a Polycomb-repressed chromatin state.
Title: Pcl-PRC2 is needed to generate high levels of H3-K27 trimethylation at Polycomb target genes.
These data thus indicate that ESC and ESCL play similar if not identical functions in E(Z) complexes in vivo.
Title: Drosophila ESC-like can substitute for ESC and becomes required for Polycomb silencing if ESC is absent.
Thus, stability and perhaps assembly of larger ESC complexes may depend on ESC phosphorylation.
Title: The N-terminus of Drosophila ESC mediates its phosphorylation and dimerization.
extreme Polycomb embryonic phenotype due to the lack of maternal and zygotic Sex combs extra can be rescued by ectopic expression of Ring/Sex combs extra
Title: The Drosophila Polycomb group gene Sex combs extra encodes the ortholog of mammalian Ring1 proteins.
ESC and E(Z) are present in multiple distinct complexes that undergo dynamic changes during development
Title: Polycomb group proteins ESC and E(Z) are present in multiple distinct complexes that undergo dynamic changes during development.
We purified an ESC-E(Z) complex from Drosophila embryos and found four major subunits: ESC, E(Z), NURF-55, and the PcG repressor, SU(Z)12. A recombinant complex reconstituted from these four subunits methylates lysine-27 of histone H3.
Title: Histone methyltransferase activity of a Drosophila Polycomb group repressor complex.
Drosophila enhancer of Zeste/ESC complexes have a histone H3 methyltransferase activity that marks chromosomal Polycomb sites.
Title: Drosophila enhancer of Zeste/ESC complexes have a histone H3 methyltransferase activity that marks chromosomal Polycomb sites.

Submit: New GeneRIF Correction See all GeneRIFs (13)

Interactions

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Products	Interactant	Other Gene	Complex	Source	Pubs	Description

General gene information

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Homology

NCBI Orthologs

Orthologs from OrthoDB

Gene Ontology Provided by FlyBase

Function	Evidence Code	Pubs
enables enzyme activator activity	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
enables enzyme activator activity	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
enables identical protein binding	IPI Inferred from Physical Interaction more info	PubMed
contributes_to nucleosome binding	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
contributes_to nucleosome binding	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
enables protein binding	IPI Inferred from Physical Interaction more info	PubMed

Process	Evidence Code	Pubs
involved_in anterior/posterior axis specification	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in facultative heterochromatin formation	IC Inferred by Curator more info	PubMed
involved_in facultative heterochromatin formation	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in heterochromatin formation	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
involved_in heterochromatin formation	IC Inferred by Curator more info	PubMed
involved_in heterochromatin formation	IGI Inferred from Genetic Interaction more info	PubMed
involved_in heterochromatin formation	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in heterochromatin formation	IPI Inferred from Physical Interaction more info	PubMed
involved_in heterochromatin formation	NAS Non-traceable Author Statement more info	PubMed
involved_in negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
involved_in negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II	NAS Non-traceable Author Statement more info	PubMed
involved_in regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in transcription initiation-coupled chromatin remodeling	NAS Non-traceable Author Statement more info	PubMed

Component	Evidence Code	Pubs
part_of ESC/E(Z) complex	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
part_of ESC/E(Z) complex	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
part_of ESC/E(Z) complex	NAS Non-traceable Author Statement more info	PubMed
located_in chromatin	ISS Inferred from Sequence or Structural Similarity more info
part_of histone methyltransferase complex	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
located_in nucleus	EXP Inferred from Experiment more info	PubMed
located_in nucleus	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
located_in nucleus	IEA Inferred from Electronic Annotation more info
located_in polytene chromosome	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed

General protein information

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Preferred Names: extra sexcombs

Names: CG14941-PA; esc-PA; extra Sex combs; extra sex comb

NCBI Reference Sequences (RefSeq)

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Genome Annotation

The following sections contain reference sequences that belong to a specific genome build. Explain

Reference assembly

Genomic

NT_033779.5 Reference assembly

Range

11827204..11829405 complement

Download

GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

NM_058083.4 → NP_477431.1 extra sexcombs

See identical proteins and their annotated locations for NP_477431.1

Status: REVIEWED

UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot

Q24338

Related

FBpp0079907

Conserved Domains (3) summary

COG2319
Location:67 → 425

WD40; WD40 repeat [General function prediction only]

sd00039
Location:76 → 122

7WD40; WD40 repeat [structural motif]

cl02567
Location:72 → 418

WD40; WD40 domain, found in a number of eukaryotic proteins that cover a wide variety of functions including adaptor/regulatory modules in signal transduction, pre-mRNA processing and cytoskeleton assembly; typically contains a GH dipeptide 11-24 residues from ...