Project description:Heterochromatic silencing is thought to occur through a combination of transcriptional silencing and RNA degradation, but the relative contribution of each pathway is not known. In this study we analyzed RNA Polymerase II (RNA Pol II) occupancy and levels of nascent and steady-state RNA in different strains of fission yeast, in order to quantify the contribution of each pathway to heterochromatic silencing. We found that transcriptional silencing consists of two components, reduced RNA Pol II accessibility and, unexpectedly, reduced transcriptional efficiency. Heterochromatic loci showed lower transcriptional output compared to euchromatic loci, despite the presence of comparable amounts of RNA Pol II in both types of regions. We determined that the Ccr4-Not complex and H3K9 methylation are required for reduced transcriptional efficiency in heterochromatin and that a subset of heterochromatic RNA is degraded more rapidly than euchromatic RNA. Finally, we quantified the contribution of different chromatin modifiers, RNAi and RNA degradation to each silencing pathway. Our data show that several pathways contribute to heterochromatic silencing in a locus-specific manner and reveal transcriptional efficiency as a new mechanism of silencing.
Project description:Constitutive domains of repressive heterochromatin are maintained within the fission yeast genome through self-reinforcing mechanisms involving histone methylation and small RNAs. Non-coding RNAs generated from heterochromatic regions are processed into small RNAs by the RNA interference pathway, and are subject to silencing through both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. While the pathways involved in maintenance of the repressive heterochromatin state are reasonably well understood, less is known about the requirements for its establishment. Here we describe a novel role for the post-transcriptional regulatory factor Mkt1 in establishment of heterochromatin at pericentromeres in fission yeast. Loss of Mkt1 does not affect maintenance of existing heterochromatin, but does affect its recovery following depletion, as well as de novo establishment of heterochromatin on a mini-chromosome. Pathway dissection revealed that Mkt1 is required for RNAi-mediated post-transcriptional silencing, downstream of small RNA production. Mkt1 physically associates with pericentromeric transcripts, and is additionally required for maintenance of silencing and heterochromatin at centromeres when transcriptional silencing is impaired. Our findings provide new insight into the mechanism of RNAi-mediated post-transcriptional silencing in fission yeast, and unveil an important role for post-transcriptional silencing in establishment of heterochromatin that is dispensable when full transcriptional silencing is imposed.
Project description:We have previously shown that RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pause release and transcriptional elongation involve phosphorylation of the factor TRIM28 by the DNA damage response (DDR) kinases ATM and DNA-PK. Here, we report a significant role for DNA breaks and DDR signaling in the mechanisms of transcriptional elongation in stimulus-inducible genes in humans. Our data show the enrichment of TRIM28 and γH2AX on serum-induced genes and the important function of DNA-PK for Pol II pause release and transcriptional activation-coupled DDR signaling on these genes. γH2AX accumulation decreases when P-TEFb is inhibited, confirming that DDR signaling results from transcriptional elongation. In addition, transcriptional elongation-coupled DDR signaling involves topoisomerase II because inhibiting this enzyme interferes with Pol II pause release and γH2AX accumulation. Our findings propose that DDR signaling is required for effective Pol II pause release and transcriptional elongation through a novel mechanism involving TRIM28, DNA-PK, and topoisomerase II 42 samples in total. IP targets were gammaH2ax, s2-pol-II, pol-II, pTRIM28, DNA-pk, topo-IIB. Experimental conditions included DMSO treatment (control), pTEFb, topoII-i, dnapk-i. Matched non-specific IP samples used for control in peak calling.
Project description:We have previously shown that RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pause release and transcriptional elongation involve phosphorylation of the factor TRIM28 by the DNA damage response (DDR) kinases ATM and DNA-PK. Here, we report a significant role for DNA breaks and DDR signaling in the mechanisms of transcriptional elongation in stimulus-inducible genes in humans. Our data show the enrichment of TRIM28 and γH2AX on serum-induced genes and the important function of DNA-PK for Pol II pause release and transcriptional activation-coupled DDR signaling on these genes. γH2AX accumulation decreases when P-TEFb is inhibited, confirming that DDR signaling results from transcriptional elongation. In addition, transcriptional elongation-coupled DDR signaling involves topoisomerase II because inhibiting this enzyme interferes with Pol II pause release and γH2AX accumulation. Our findings propose that DDR signaling is required for effective Pol II pause release and transcriptional elongation through a novel mechanism involving TRIM28, DNA-PK, and topoisomerase II
Project description:In plants, multiple levels of epigenetic control suppress transposon movement and permit somatic as well as transgenerational transmission of gene expression patterns. A variety of factors are involved that establish and/or maintain epigenetic marks, such as covalent modification of DNA and histones. Alteration of epigenetic marks leads to the enhancement or release of transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). TGS regulator MOM1 is special in this respect since it silences transcription by an unknown mechanism operating without obvious changes in epigenetic marks. We have isolated an enhancer of the mom1 mutation that points towards regulatory interplay between MOM1 and the plant-specific RNA Polymerase V (Pol V). Pol V transcribes heterochromatic loci and silences them. Although its biochemical properties have been studied; it is still not clear how Pol V is targeted to heterochromatin. We now provide evidence that Pol V is required for MOM1-mediated suppression of transcription at a subset of its chromosomal targets. Thus, Pol V interacts with MOM1 in the control of gene silencing. Interestingly, functional relationships between mutations in MOM1 and Pol V genes range from enhancement to independence or even suppression at different target loci. 4 samples: wt, mom1, nrpe1, mom/nrpe1 with 3 replicates each
Project description:Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a conserved role in regulating gene expression, chromatin dynamics and cell differentiation. They serve as a platform for RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated heterochromatin formation or DNA methylation in many eukaryotic organisms. We found in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, that heterochromatin is lost at transcribed regions in absence of RNA degradation, although establishment is not affected. We show that heterochromatic RNAs accumulate on chromatin, form R-loops and need to be degraded by the Ccr4-Not complex or RNAi to maintain heterochromatic silencing. The Ccr4-Not complex is localized to chromatin independently of H3K9me and degrades chromatin associated transcripts, which is required for transcriptional silencing. Overexpression of heterochromatic lncRNA at a heterochromatic locus abolishes silencing of an ade6 reporter in wild type cells. Furthermore, euchromatic lncRNA accumulate on chromatin and this regulates their transcription. Our results demonstrate that chromatin bound RNA interfere with heterochromatin organization and silencing.
Project description:In plants, heterochromatin is maintained by a small RNA-based gene silencing mechanism known as RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). RdDM requires the non-redundant functions of two plant-specific DNA-dependent RNA polymerases (Pol) Pol IV and Pol V. Pol IV plays a major role in siRNA biogenesis, while Pol V may recruit DNA methylation machinery to target endogenous loci for silencing. Although small RNA-generating regions which are dependent on both Pol IV and Pol V have been identified previously, the genomic loci targeted Pol V for siRNA accumulation and silencing have not been described extensively. To characterize the Pol V-dependent, heterochromatic siRNA-generating regions in the Arabidopsis genome, we deeply sequenced the small RNA populations of wild-type and Pol V mutant plants. Furthermore, we characterized the siRNA-generating regions which were dependent on RdDM effectors and examined their dependency on Pol V. Small RNA libraries were generated and deeply sequenced from mutant alleles dms4-1, drd1-1, dms3-1, and rdm1-4, along with their control library (“Wt(T+S)”) which has been described previously (Kanno et al. 2004 Current Biology). More than 2,000 small RNA-generating loci were identified which were greatly suppressed in Pol V mutants. The Pol V-dependent, heterochromatic siRNA-generating regions were characterized in the Arabidopsis genome by deep sequencing the small RNA populations of wild-type and Pol V mutant plants. Deep SBS sequencing was used for small RNA profiling of immature inflorescence tissues from RNA polymerase V and RdDM mutants.
Project description:To sustain growth, budding yeast actively transcribes its ribosomal gene array (rDNA) in the nucoleolus to produce ribosomes and proteins. However, intense transcription during rDNA replication may provoke collisions between RNA polymerase I (Pol I) and the replisome, may cause replication fork instability, double-strand breaks, local recombinations and rDNA instability. The latter is manifested by rDNA array expansion or reduction and the formation of extrachromosomal rDNA circles, anomalies that accelerate aging in yeast. Transcription also interferes with the resolution, condensation and segregation of the sister chromatid rDNA arrays. As a consequence, rDNA segregation lags behind the rest of the yeast genome and occurs in late anaphase when rDNA transcription is temporarily shut off. How yeast promotes the stability and transmission of its rDNA array while satisfying a constant need for ribosomes remains unclear. Here we show that the downregulation of Pol I by the conserved cell cycle kinase Rio1 spatiotemporally coordinates rDNA transcription, replication and segregation. More specifically, Rio1 activity promotes copy-number stability of the replicating rDNA array by curtailing Pol I activity and by localising the histone deacetylase Sir2, which establishes a heterochromatic state that silences rDNA transcription. At anaphase entry, Rio1 and the Cdc14 phosphatase target Pol I subunit Rpa43 to dissociate Pol I from the 35S rDNA promoter. The rDNA locus then condensates and segregates, thereby concluding the genome transmission process. Rio1 is involved in ribosome maturation in the cytoplasm of budding yeast and human cells. Additional engagements in the cytoplasm or roles in the nucleus are unknown. Our study describes its first nuclear engagement as a Pol I silencing kinase. This activity may prove highly relevant as dysregulated RNA polymerase I activity has been associated with cancer initiation and proliferation.