B02

Development of the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems is tightly interconnected. We found that the histone methyltransferase Suv4-20h1 is required in cardio-pulmonary progenitor cells (CPP) to control subsequent proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMC), maturation of the microvasculature and lung alveolarization, putatively via regulation of SOD3 expression. We will investigate the communication between endothelial cells and SMC and determine which particular CPP-derivative is responsible for the Suv4-20h1 phenotype. Furthermore, we will analyze the potential crosstalk of H4K20me2/3 with other histone modifications, and investigate the chromatin landscape linked to heart and lung defects in Suv4-20h1 (R143C) animals.