Project description:In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway is required to generate small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that mediate heterochromatic silencing of centromeric repeats. Here we demonstrate that RNAi also functions to repress genomic elements other than constitutive heterochromatin. Using DamID (DNA adenine methyltransferase identification) we show that Dcr1 and Rdp1 physically associate with some euchromatic genes, non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes, and retrotransposon long terminal repeats (LTRs), and that this association is independent of the Clr4 histone methyltransferase. Physical association of RNAi with chromatin is sufficient to trigger a silencing response but not to assemble heterochromatin. The mode of silencing at the newly identified RNAi targets is consistent with a co-transcriptional gene silencing model as proposed earlier and functions with trace amounts of siRNAs. We anticipate that similar mechanisms could also be operational in other eukaryotes.
Project description:Spt6 is a conserved factor, critically required for several transcription and chromatin related processes. We now show that Spt6 and its binding partner, Iws1, are required for heterochromatic silencing in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Our studies demonstrate that Spt6 is required for silencing of all heterochromatic loci and that an spt6 mutant has an unusual combination of heterochromatic phenotypes compared to previously studied silencing mutants. Unexpectedly, we find normal nucleosome positioning over heterochromatin and normal levels of histone H3K9 dimethylation. However, we also find greatly reduced levels of H3K9 trimethylation, elevated levels of H3K14 acetylation, and reduced recruitment of several silencing factors. Our evidence suggests that Spt6 plays a role at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels; in an spt6 mutant, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) occupancy at the pericentric regions is only modestly increased, while production of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) is lost. Taken together, our results suggest that Spt6 is required for multiple steps in heterochromatic silencing by controlling chromatin, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional processes.
Project description:Epigenetic gene silencing plays a critical role in regulating gene expression and contributes to organismal development and cell fate acquisition in eukaryotes. In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, heterochromatin-associated gene silencing is known to be mediated by RNA processing pathways including RNA interference (RNAi) and a 3’-5’ exoribonuclease complex exosome. Here, we report a new RNA-processing pathway that contributes to epigenetic gene silencing and assembly of heterochromatin mediated by 5’-3’ exoribonuclease Dhp1/Xrn2. Dhp1 mutation causes defective gene silencing both at peri-centromeric regions and at the silent mating type locus. Intriguingly, mutation of either one of two well-characterized Dhp1-interacting proteins, the Din1 pyrophosphohydrolase or the Rhn1 transcription termination factor, does not show silencing defects at the main heterochromatic regions. Dhp1 is essential in the sequential steps of establishing silencing in a manner independent of both RNAi and the exosome. Genomic and genetic analysis suggest that Dhp1 is involved in post-transcriptional silencing of repetitive regions through its catalytic activity. Our study is the first investigation into an unexpected role of Dhp1/Rat1/Xrn2 in chromatin-based silencing. These results elucidate how various RNA-processing pathways, acting together or independently, contribute to epigenetic regulation of the eukaryotic genome.
Project description:Epigenetic gene silencing plays a critical role in regulating gene expression and contributes to organismal development and cell fate acquisition in eukaryotes. In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, heterochromatin-associated gene silencing is known to be mediated by RNA processing pathways including RNA interference (RNAi) and a 3’-5’ exoribonuclease complex exosome. Here, we report a new RNA-processing pathway that contributes to epigenetic gene silencing and assembly of heterochromatin mediated by 5’-3’ exoribonuclease Dhp1/Xrn2. Dhp1 mutation causes defective gene silencing both at peri-centromeric regions and at the silent mating type locus. Intriguingly, mutation of either one of two well-characterized Dhp1-interacting proteins, the Din1 pyrophosphohydrolase or the Rhn1 transcription termination factor, does not show silencing defects at the main heterochromatic regions. Dhp1 is essential in the sequential steps of establishing silencing in a manner independent of both RNAi and the exosome. Genomic and genetic analysis suggest that Dhp1 is involved in post-transcriptional silencing of repetitive regions through its catalytic activity. Our study is the first investigation into an unexpected role of Dhp1/Rat1/Xrn2 in chromatin-based silencing. These results elucidate how various RNA-processing pathways, acting together or independently, contribute to epigenetic regulation of the eukaryotic genome.
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.