Maternal depletion of Piwi, a component of the RNAi system, impacts heterochromatin formation in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: A persistent question in epigenetics is how heterochromatin is targeted for assembly at specific domains, and how that chromatin state is faithfully transmitted. Stable heterochromatin is necessary to silence transposable elements (TEs) and maintain genome integrity. Both the RNAi system and heterochromatin components HP1 (Swi6) and H3K9me2/3 are required for initial establishment of heterochromatin structures in S. pombe. Here we utilize both loss of function alleles and the newly developed Drosophila melanogaster transgenic shRNA lines to deplete proteins of interest at specific development stages to dissect their roles in heterochromatin assembly in early zygotes and in maintenance of the silencing chromatin state during development. Using reporters subject to Position Effect Variegatio

SUBMITTER: Gu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3777992 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature