Project description:Analysis of genome-wide IES elimination of Late-scnRNA accumulation-defective cells inducates that Early-scnRNAs are sufficient to induce DNA elimination for a majority of IESs, whereas Late-scnRNAs are important for DNA elimination of some, mainly Type-B, IESs.
Project description:In this study, we demonstrated that there is a novel, unanticipated mechanism regulating programmed DNA elimination: a genome-wide trans-recognition network for IES identification. In this mechanism, Early-scnRNAs produced from Type-A IESs in the MIC identify not only the IESs from which they are derived but also other IESs in trans to trigger the cis-spreading of Late-scnRNA production in the IESs. This cis-spreading of Late-scnRNA production requires heterochromatin formation . Furthermore, these Late-scnRNAs can recognize other IESs in trans. This “chain reaction” of Late-scnRNA production by the trans-recognition network most likely provides strong robustness in DNA elimination by buffering cell-to-cell variability in the initial Early-scnRNA populations.
Project description:Analysis of genome-wide IES elimination of Late-scnRNA accumulation-defective cells inducates that Early-scnRNAs are sufficient to induce DNA elimination for a majority of IESs, whereas Late-scnRNAs are important for DNA elimination of some, mainly Type-B, IESs. new MACs of exconjugants were isolated from different mutants at 36 hpm, and the genomic DNA was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing
Project description:In this study, we demonstrated that there is a novel, unanticipated mechanism regulating programmed DNA elimination: a genome-wide trans-recognition network for IES identification. In this mechanism, Early-scnRNAs produced from Type-A IESs in the MIC identify not only the IESs from which they are derived but also other IESs in trans to trigger the cis-spreading of Late-scnRNA production in the IESs. This cis-spreading of Late-scnRNA production requires heterochromatin formation . Furthermore, these Late-scnRNAs can recognize other IESs in trans. This “chain reaction” of Late-scnRNA production by the trans-recognition network most likely provides strong robustness in DNA elimination by buffering cell-to-cell variability in the initial Early-scnRNA populations. 26 to 32-nt small RNAs from various mutants or from immuno precipitated with Argonaute proteins were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing
Project description:The ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena undergoes extensive programmed DNA elimination when the germline micronucleus produces the new macronucleus during sexual reproduction. DNA elimination is epigenetically controlled by DNA sequences of the parental macronuclear genome, and this epigenetic regulation is mediated by small RNAs (scnRNAs) of approximately 28-30 nucleotides that are produced and function by an RNAi-related mechanism. Here, we examine scnRNA production and turnover by deep sequencing. scnRNAs are produced exclusively from the micronucleus and non-homogeneously from a variety of chromosomal locations. scnRNAs are preferentially derived from the eliminated sequences, and this preference is mainly determined at the level of transcription. Despite this bias, a significant fraction of scnRNAs is also derived from the macronuclear-destined sequences, and these scnRNAs are degraded during the course of sexual reproduction. These results indicate that the pattern of DNA elimination in the new macronucleus is shaped by the biased transcription in the micronucleus and by the selective degradation of scnRNAs in the parental macronucleus. GRO-Seq and Examination of siRNAs in wild-type,nullisomic 4, EMA1 KO, and TWI1 KO Tetrahymena cells
Project description:The ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena undergoes extensive programmed DNA elimination when the germline micronucleus produces the new macronucleus during sexual reproduction. DNA elimination is epigenetically controlled by DNA sequences of the parental macronuclear genome, and this epigenetic regulation is mediated by small RNAs (scnRNAs) of approximately 28-30 nucleotides that are produced and function by an RNAi-related mechanism. Here, we examine scnRNA production and turnover by deep sequencing. scnRNAs are produced exclusively from the micronucleus and non-homogeneously from a variety of chromosomal locations. scnRNAs are preferentially derived from the eliminated sequences, and this preference is mainly determined at the level of transcription. Despite this bias, a significant fraction of scnRNAs is also derived from the macronuclear-destined sequences, and these scnRNAs are degraded during the course of sexual reproduction. These results indicate that the pattern of DNA elimination in the new macronucleus is shaped by the biased transcription in the micronucleus and by the selective degradation of scnRNAs in the parental macronucleus.
Project description:Distinct classes of small RNAs are often selectively sorted to different Argonaute proteins. Various properties of small RNAs, such as length, terminal nucleotide, thermodynamic asymmetry and duplex mismatches, can impact sorting in different RNA silencing pathways in diverse eukaryotes. The developmentally regulated ~26-32 nt siRNAs, which are involved in programmed DNA elimination in Tetrahymena, show a strong bias for uracil at the 5' end. In this study, we analyzed loaded and unloaded populations of ~26-32 nt siRNAs by deep RNA sequencing. We show that the production process is the main determinant of size, whereas the 5' uracil bias is attributed not only to the process of loading siRNAs into the Argonaute protein Twi1p but also significantly to the initial processing of the siRNAs. We also show that both the loaded and the unloaded ~26-32 nt siRNAs have a strong bias for adenine as the 3rd base from the 3' terminus, suggesting that most of these siRNAs are direct Dicer products and little post-processing amplification of this class of siRNAs occurs. Further, we demonstrate that the siRNA-loading process in vivo can be deduced from the fraction of siRNAs with uracil as the first base. These findings provide biochemical bases for the attributes of ~26-32 nt siRNAs, which should help improve our understanding of their production and turnover in vivo. Examination of siRNA populations in wild-type and TWI1 KO Tetrahymena cells