Project description:Point centromeres are specified by a short consensus sequence that seeds kinetochore formation, whereas regional centromeres lack a conserved sequence and instead are epigenetically inherited. Regional centromeres are generally flanked by heterochromatin that ensures high levels of cohesin and promotes faithful chromosome segregation. However, it is not known whether regional centromeres require pericentromeric heterochromatin. In the yeast Candida lusitaniae, we identified a distinct type of regional centromere that lacks pericentromeric heterochromatin. Centromere locations were determined by ChIP-sequencing of two key centromere proteins, Cse4 and Mif2, and are consistent with bioinformatic predictions. The centromeric DNA sequence was unique for each chromosome and spanned 4-4.5 kbp, consistent with regional epigenetically inherited centromeres. However, unlike other regional centromeres, there was no evidence of pericentromeric heterochromatin in C. lusitaniae. In particular, flanking genes were expressed at a similar level to the rest of the genome, and a URA3 reporter inserted adjacent to a centromere was not repressed. In addition, regions flanking the centromeric core were not associated with hypoacetylated histones or a sirtuin deacetylase that generates heterochromatin in other yeast. Interestingly, the centromeric chromatin had a distinct pattern of histone modifications, being enriched for methylated H3K79 and H3R2 but lacking methylation of H3K4, which is found at other regional centromeres. Thus, not all regional centromeres require flanking heterochromatin.
Project description:The goal of this study is to identifiy centromere locations of Candida lusitaniae through ChIP-Seq analysis. We applied ChIP-Seq on two centromere proteins: Cse4 and Mif2. After peak calling, we identified one peak in each of the 8 supercontigs of Candida lusitaniae which may represent the potential centromere location.
Project description:We sequenced mRNA from wild type and Hst1 knock out strains of Candida lusitaniae to generate the gene expression profiles and studied the differentially expressed genes between the two conditions.
Project description:We sequenced mRNA from wild type and Hst1 knock out strains of Candida lusitaniae to generate the gene expression profiles and studied the differentially expressed genes between the two conditions. RNA profiles of wild type (WT) and Hst1 knockout of Candida lusitaniae were generated by deep sequencing
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of C. lusitaniae a and alpha cells mixed on 0.37% PDA (potato dextrose agar) for 0 hours (h) ,4h, and 12n hybridized against WT cells on YPD for 4 hours and also a and alpha ime2 deletion mutants mixed on 0.37% PDA for 4 hours hybridized against WT cells on YPD (yeast peptone dextrose) for 4h
Project description:Many repetitive DNA elements are packaged in heterochromatin, but depend on occasional transcription to maintain long-term silencing. The factors that promote transcription of repeat elements in heterochromatin are largely unknown. Here, we show that DOT1L, a histone methyltransferase that modifies lysine 79 of histone H3 (H3K79), is required for transcription of major satellite repeats to maintain pericentromeric heterochromatin (PCH), and that this function is essential for preimplantation development. DOT1L is a transcriptional activator at single-copy genes but does not have a known role in repeat element transcription. We show that H3K79me3 is specifically enriched at repetitive elements, that loss of DOT1L compromises pericentromeric major satellite transcription, and that this function depends on interaction between DOT1L and the chromatin remodeler SMARCA5. DOT1L inhibition causes chromosome breaks and cell cycle defects, and leads to embryonic lethality. Together, our findings uncover a vital new role for DOT1L in transcriptional activation of heterochromatic repeats.