OBO ID: GO:0031507

Term Name:	heterochromatin formation		Search Ontology:
Synonyms:	chromatin silencing chromatin-mediated silencing establishment of chromatin silencing establishment of heterochromatic silencing establishment of heterochromatin architecture establishment of heterochromatin architecture involved in chromatin silencing at centromere outer repeat region establishment of heterochromatin architecture involved in chromatin silencing at pericentric region heterochromatic silencing heterochromatin assembly heterochromatin assembly involved in chromatin silencing heterochromatin assembly involved in chromatin silencing at centromere outer repeat region heterochromatin assembly involved in chromatin silencing at pericentric region heterochromatin formation involved in chromatin silencing heterochromatin formation involved in chromatin silencing at centromere outer repeat region heterochromatin formation involved in chromatin silencing at pericentric region heterochromatin maintenance TGS transcriptional gene silencing
Definition:	An epigenetic gene silencing mechanism in which chromatin is compacted into heterochromatin, resulting in a chromatin conformation refractory to transcription. This process starts with heterochromatin nucleation, its spreading, and ends with heterochromatin boundary formation. (2)
References:
Ontology:	GO: Biological Process    QuickGO    AmiGO