Dataset Information

Mkt1 is required for RNAi-mediated silencing and establishment of heterochromatin in fission yeast

ABSTRACT: 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.

INSTRUMENT(S): LTQ Orbitrap Velos, Q Exactive

ORGANISM(S): Schizosaccharomyces Pombe

TISSUE(S): Cell Suspension Culture

SUBMITTER: Elizabeth Bayne

LAB HEAD: Elizabeth Bayne

PROVIDER: PXD015484 | Pride | 2019-11-28

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Publications

Mkt1 is required for RNAi-mediated silencing and establishment of heterochromatin in fission yeast.

Taglini Francesca F Chapman Elliott E van Nues Rob R Theron Emmanuelle E Bayne Elizabeth H EH

Nucleic acids research 20200201 3

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 unde ...[more]

PMID: 31822915

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Project description:Heterochromatic DNA domains play important roles in the regulation of gene expression and maintenance of genome stability by silencing repetitive DNA elements and transposons. In organisms ranging from fission yeast to mammals, heterochromatin assembly at DNA repeats involves the activity of small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) associated with the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Typically, sRNAs, originating from long noncoding RNAs transcribed from DNA repeats, guide Argonaute-containing effector complexes to complementary nascent RNAs to initiate histone H3 lysine 9 di- and tri-methylation (H3K9me2 and H3K9me3, respectively) and heterochromatin formation. H3K9me is in turn required for recruitment of RNAi to chromatin and promotes sRNA generation. However, how heterochromatin formation, which silences transcription, can proceed by a co-transcriptional mechanism that also promotes sRNA generation remains paradoxical. Here, using Clr4, the fission yeast homolog of mammalian SUV39H H3K9 methyltransferases, we designed active site mutations, which allow H3K9me2 catalysis but block the transition to H3K9me3. We show that H3K9me2 defines a functionally distinct heterochromatin state that is sufficient for RNAi-dependent co-transcriptional gene silencing (CTGS). Unlike H3K9me3 domains, which are transcriptionally silent, H3K9me2 domains are transcriptionally active, contain modifications associated with euchromatic transcription, and couple RNAi-mediated transcript degradation to the establishment of H3K9me domains. The two H3K9me states recruit reader proteins with different efficiencies, explaining their different downstream silencing functions. Furthermore, transition from H3K9me2 to H3K9me3 is required for RNAi-independent epigenetic inheritance of H3K9me domains. Our findings demonstrate that H3K9me2 and H3K9me3 define functionally distinct heterochromatin states and uncover a mechanism for formation of transcriptionally permissive heterochromatin that is compatible with its broadly conserved role in RNAi-mediated genome defense.

Dataset Information

Mkt1 is required for RNAi-mediated silencing and establishment of heterochromatin in fission yeast

Publications

Mkt1 is required for RNAi-mediated silencing and establishment of heterochromatin in fission yeast.

Similar Datasets

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