Suppressor of variegation 4-20 homolog 1 (Drosophila)
Gene Summary
Suv420h1 is a histone methyltransferase that specifically trimethylates 'Lys-20' of histone H4. H4 'Lys-20' trimethylation represents a specific tag for epigenetic transcriptional repression. It mainly functions in pericentric heterochromatin regions, thereby playing a central role in the establishment of constitutive heterochromatin in these regions. SUV420H1 is targeted to histone H3 via its interaction with RB1 family proteins.