Independent chromatin binding of ARGONAUTE4 and SPT5L/KTF1 mediates transcriptional gene silencing.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic genomes contain significant amounts of transposons and repetitive DNA elements, which, if transcribed, can be detrimental to the organism. Expression of these elements is suppressed by establishment of repressive chromatin modifications. In Arabidopsis thaliana, they are silenced by the siRNA-mediated transcriptional gene silencing pathway where long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) produced by RNA Polymerase V (Pol V) guide ARGONAUTE4 (AGO4) to chromatin and attract enzymes that establish repressive chromatin modifications. It is unknown how chromatin modifying enzymes are recruited to chromatin. We show through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) that SPT5L/KTF1, a silencing factor and a homolog of SPT5 elongation factors, binds chromatin at loci subject to transcriptional silencing

SUBMITTER: Rowley MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3111484 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature