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Modifiers of position-effect-variegation in Drosophila encode proteins that are thought to modify chromatin, rendering it heritably changed in its expressibiiity. In an attempt to identify similar modifier genes in other species we have utilized a known sequence homology, termed chromo box, between a suppressor of positioneffect- variegation, Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), and a repressor of homeotic genes, Polycomb (PC). A PCR generated probe encompassing the HP1 chrorno box was used to clone full-length murine cDNAs that contain conserved chrorno box motifs. Sequence comparisons, in situ hybridization experiments, and RNA Northern blot analysis suggest that the murine and human sequences presented in this report are homoiogues of the Drosophila HP1 gene. Chromo box sequences can also be detected in other animal species, and in plants, predicting a strongly conserved structural role for …