RNA-binding protein Ars2 mediates transcriptional silencing of telomeric repeats and transposable elements in the Drosophila germline.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres ensure genome stability and the levels of telomeric RNA reflect the integrity of telomeric chromatin. The highly conserved RNA-binding protein Ars2 (Arsenite-resistance protein 2) plays an essential role in the RNA nuclear metabolism and negatively regulates the expression of telomeric transcripts in human cells and in Drosophila. We found that germline knockdown of Drosophila Ars2 does not affect small RNA abundance but causes overexpression of telomeric repeats and transposable elements (TEs), accompanied by chromatin decompaction of these regions. The expression of a transgene containing the HeT-A telomeric retrotransposon was also affected by Ars2 knockdown. The mutation of the G-rich region, which is prone to the formation of G-quadruplex structures, reduces the HeT-A transg

SUBMITTER: Morgunova V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12123415 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature