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PMID: 18174443 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Heterochromatin and RNAi are required to establish CENP-A chromatin at centromeres.

Science (New York, N.Y.) ·Vol. 319 ·No. 5859 ·2008-01-04 ·Pages 94-7

Folco HD, Pidoux AL, Urano T, Allshire RC

Abstract

Heterochromatin is defined by distinct posttranslational modifications on histones, such as methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9), which allows heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1)-related chromodomain proteins to bind. Heterochromatin is frequently found near CENP-A chromatin, which is the key determinant of kinetochore assembly. We have discovered that the RNA interference (RNAi)-directed heterochromatin flanking the central kinetochore domain at fission yeast centromeres is required to promote CENP-A(Cnp1) and kinetochore assembly over the central domain. The H3K9 methyltransferase Clr4 (Suv39); the ribonuclease Dicer, which cleaves heterochromatic double-stranded RNA to small interfering RNA (siRNA); Chp1, a component of the RNAi effector complex (RNA-induced initiation of transcriptional gene silencing; RITS); and Swi6 (HP1) are required to establish CENP-A(Cnp1) chromatin on naïve templates. Once assembled, CENP-A(Cnp1) chromatin is propagated by epigenetic means in the absence of heterochromatin. Thus, another, potentially conserved, role for centromeric RNAi-directed heterochromatin has been identified.

MeSH Terms
Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism Centromere/metabolism Chromatin/metabolism Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone/genetics,metabolism Chromosome Segregation Chromosomes, Fungal/genetics,metabolism DNA, Fungal/genetics,metabolism Epigenesis, Genetic Heterochromatin/metabolism Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase Kinetochores/metabolism Methyltransferases/metabolism RNA Interference RNA, Fungal/genetics,metabolism RNA, Small Interfering/genetics,metabolism Ribonuclease III/metabolism Schizosaccharomyces/genetics,metabolism Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/genetics,metabolism Transformation, Genetic
Chemicals
Cell Cycle Proteins Chp1 protein, S pombe Chromatin Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone Cnp1 protein, S pombe DNA, Fungal Heterochromatin RNA, Fungal RNA, Small Interfering Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins Swi6 protein, S pombe Methyltransferases Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase clr4 protein, S pombe Ribonuclease III
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Folco Hernan Diego
Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 6.34 Swann Building, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK.
Pidoux Alison L
Urano Takeshi
Allshire Robin C
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Article Info
Journal
Science (New York, N.Y.)
Abbr.
Science
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.1150944
Published
2008-01-04
Pages
94-7
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0404511
PMCID
PMC2586718
Subset
IM
Grants
Wellcome Trust · 065061 · United Kingdom
Wellcome Trust · 065061/Z · United Kingdom
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1126/science.1150944 PMC Full Text View journal details
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