Project description:Co-transcriptional RNA processing and surveillance factors mediate heterochromatin formation in fission yeast. In addition to RNAi, RNA elimination machinery including MTREC (Mtl1-Red1 core) and the exosome are involved in facultative heterochromatin assembly, however, the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that RNA elimination factors cooperate with the conserved exoribonuclease Dhp1/Rat1/Xrn2, which couples pre-mRNA 3â-end processing to transcription termination, to promote premature termination and facultative heterochromatin formation at meiotic genes. Dhp1 also affects termination of transcripts at genes that are targets of RNAi-mediated heterochromatin assembly. Moreover, Dhp1 facilitates constitutive heterochromatin formation and silencing at centromeric and mating-type loci. Remarkably, we find that Dhp1 interacts with the Clr4/Suv39h methyltransferase complex and acts directly to nucleate heterochromatin. Our results uncover a novel role for 3â-end processing and termination machinery in gene silencing through premature termination and suggest that non-canonical termination by Dhp1 and RNA elimination factors is linked to heterochromatin assembly. These findings have important implications for understanding mechanisms of gene silencing in higher eukaryotes. Sequencing and analysis of small RNA in two S. pombe mutants
Project description:Co-transcriptional RNA processing and surveillance factors mediate heterochromatin formation in fission yeast. In addition to RNAi, RNA elimination machinery including MTREC (Mtl1-Red1 core) and the exosome are involved in facultative heterochromatin assembly, however, the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that RNA elimination factors cooperate with the conserved exoribonuclease Dhp1/Rat1/Xrn2, which couples pre-mRNA 3’-end processing to transcription termination, to promote premature termination and facultative heterochromatin formation at meiotic genes. Dhp1 also affects termination of transcripts at genes that are targets of RNAi-mediated heterochromatin assembly. Moreover, Dhp1 facilitates constitutive heterochromatin formation and silencing at centromeric and mating-type loci. Remarkably, we find that Dhp1 interacts with the Clr4/Suv39h methyltransferase complex and acts directly to nucleate heterochromatin. Our results uncover a novel role for 3’-end processing and termination machinery in gene silencing through premature termination and suggest that non-canonical termination by Dhp1 and RNA elimination factors is linked to heterochromatin assembly. These findings have important implications for understanding mechanisms of gene silencing in higher eukaryotes.
Project description:Occupancy profiling of Rec12 during fission yeast meiosis. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation. Whole cell extract DNA and DNA recovered by Rec12 ChIP from fission yeast undergoing synchronous meiosis were random-prime PCR amplified and labeled with Cy3 (whole cell extract) or Cy5 (IP DNA) and analyzed using custom 60mer Agilent array that tiles Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome in 300bp intervals alternately on both strands.
Project description:Occupancy profiling of Shelterin components in fission yeast. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation. Whole cell extract DNA and DNA recovered from Taz1 or Rif1-immunoprecipitated chromatin of fission yeast were random-prime PCR amplified and labeled with Cy3 (whole cell extract DNA) or with Cy5 (IP DNA) and analyzed using custom 60mer Agilent array that tiles Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome in 300bp intervals alternately on both strands.
Project description:ChIP-chip analyses of lysine 9 dimethylated histone H3 in Shelterin mutants. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation. Whole cell extract DNA and DNA recovered from H3K9 dimethylated chromatin of fission yeast were random-prime PCR amplified and labeled with Cy3 (whole cell extract) or Cy5 (IP DNA) and analyzed using custom 60mer Agilent array that tiles Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome in 300bp intervals alternately on both strands.
Project description:BrdU profiling of replication activity in hydroxyurea treated synchronous culture of fission yeast. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation.
Project description:Occupancy profiling of Shelterin components in fission yeast. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation.
Project description:Occupancy profiling of Rec12 during fission yeast meiosis. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation.
Project description:ChIP-chip analyses of lysine 9 dimethylated histone H3 in Shelterin mutants. Facultative heterochromatin regulates gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Previously, we identified facultative heterochromatin islands in the fission yeast genome and found that RNA elimination machinery promotes island assembly at meiotic genes. Here, we report that Taz1, a component of the telomere protection complex Shelterin, is required to assemble heterochromatin islands at regions corresponding to late replication origins that are sites of double-strand break formation during meiosis. The loss of Taz1 and other Shelterin subunits, including Ccq1 that interacts with Clr4/Suv39h, abolishes heterochromatin at late origins and causes defective silencing of associated genes. Moreover, the late origin regulator Rif1 affects heterochromatin at Taz1-dependent islands and subtelomeric regions. We uncover a connection between heterochromatin and replication control, and show that heterochromatin factors affect timing of replication. These analyses implicate Shelterin in facultative heterochromatin assembly at late origins, which has important implications for the maintenance of genome stability and gene regulation.