Project description:Heterochromatin, representing the silenced state of transcription, largely consists of transposon-enriched and highly repetitive sequences. Implicated in heterochromatin formation and transcriptional silencing in Drosophila are PIWI and repeat-associated small interfering RNAs (rasiRNAs). Despite this, the role of PIWI in rasiRNA expression and heterochromatic silencing remains unknown. Here we report the identification and characterization of 12,903 PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in Drosophila, demonstrating that rasiRNAs represent a subset of piRNAs. Keywords: PIWI, piRNA, epigenetic regulation, heterochromatin
Project description:Heterochromatin, representing the silenced state of transcription, largely consists of transposon-enriched and highly repetitive sequences. Implicated in heterochromatin formation and transcriptional silencing in Drosophila are PIWI and repeat-associated small interfering RNAs (rasiRNAs). Despite this, the role of PIWI in rasiRNA expression and heterochromatic silencing remains unknown. Here we report the identification and characterization of 12,903 PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in Drosophila, demonstrating that rasiRNAs represent a subset of piRNAs. Keywords: PIWI, piRNA, epigenetic regulation, heterochromatin PIWI-associated small RNA cDNA library was sequenced for one time by high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing. Putative small RNA sequences were extracted and BLAST against the Drosophila melanogaster genome release 5. Presented here is a list of non-redundant PIWI-associated small RNAs, which have at least one genome match determined by BLASTn.
Project description:Heterochromatin-protein 1 (HP1) is a functionally diverse family of proteins. In particular, Drosophila dHP1c forms a complex with the transcription factors WOC and ROW (dHP1EU) that localizes at euchromatin and regulates gene expression. We used microarrays to analyse the changes in gene expression after row depletion by RNAi. For expression profiling analyses, total RNAs were prepared from control S2 cells and upon RNAi-mediated depletion of ROW, converted to cDNA and hybridized to Drosophila Genome 2.0 GeneChip (Affymetrix).
Project description:Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) proteins are important regulators of heterochromatin mediated gene silencing and chromosome structure and it is well known as the reader of the heterochromatin mark methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me). In Drosophila three different histone lysine methyl transferases (HKMTs) are associated with the methylation of H3K9; Su(var)3-9, Setdb1 and G9a. To gain insights on the dependence of HP1a on the three different HKMTs, the division of labor between these methyl transferases and the dependence of HP1a on H3K9me we have studied HP1a binding in relation to H3K9me in mutants of these HKMTs. We show that Su(var)3-9 is responsible for the HP1a H3K9me-dependent binding in pericentromeric regions while Setdb1 controls the HP1a H3K9me-dependent binding to cytological region 2L:31 and together with POF chromosome 4. HP1a binds to the promoters and within gene bodies of active genes in these three regions. More importantly, HP1a bound at promoters of active genes are independent of H3K9me and POF and is associated to heterochromatin protein 2 (HP2) and open chromatin. Our results supports a model where HP1a nucleates with high affinity independent of H3K9me in promoters of active genes and then spreads via H3K9 methylation and transient looping contacts with those H3K9me target sites. In total 44 samples; 2 replicates for each genotype and for each ChIP (HP1a, H3K9me2 and H3K9me3)