The H3K27me3 reader UAD-2 recruits a TAF-12-containing transcription machinery to initiate piRNA expression within heterochromatic clusters.

ABSTRACT: Metazoans utilize the small RNA pathway to regulate gene expression and maintain genome integrity. This pathway directs histone H3 lysine 9 tri-methylation (H3K9me3) or histone H3 lysine 27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) at target loci to induce transcriptional gene silencing. Interestingly, some small RNAs are generated from genomic loci enriched in H3K9me3 or H3K27me3. However, the transcription mechanism of small RNA precursors from these heterochromatic regions remains unclear. In C. elegans, piRNAs originate from two genomic clusters enriched with H3K27me3 marks, which recruit the H3K27me3 reader UAD-2 and the upstream sequence transcription complex (USTC). Here, we demonstrate that piRNA transcription in C. elegans relies on TAF-12, a subunit of the basal transcription factor IID (TFIID)

SUBMITTER: Huang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12658099 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature