Nuclear architecture and spatial positioning help establish transcriptional states of telomeres in yeast.
Recent experiments have shown that gene repression can be correlated with relocation of genes to heterochromatin-rich silent domains. Here, we investigate whether nuclear architecture and spatial positioning can contribute directly to the transcriptional activity of a genetic locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By disassembling telomeric silent domains without altering the chromatin-mediated silencing machinery, we show that the transcriptional activity of silencer--reporter constructs depends on intranuclear position. This demonstrates that telomeric silent domains are actively involved in transcriptional silencing. Employing fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in combination with genetic assays, we demonstrate that telomeres control the establishment of transcriptional states by reversible partitioning with the perinuclear silencing domains. Anchoring telomeres interferes with their ability to assume an active state, whereas disassembly of silencing domains prevents telomeres from assuming a repressed state. Our data support a model in which domains of enriched transcriptional regulators allow genes to determine transcriptional states by spatial positioning.
Feuerbach
Frank
F
Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire du Noyau, CNRS URA1773, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France.
Galy
Vincent
V
Trelles-Sticken
Edgar
E
Fromont-Racine
Micheline
M
Jacquier
Alain
A
Gilson
Eric
E
Olivo-Marin
Jean-Christophe
JC
Scherthan
Harry
H
Nehrbass
Ulf
U
D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D028861:Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
D005656:Fungal Proteins; C080988:MLP1 protein, S cerevisiae; C119200:MLP2 protein, S cerevisiae; D028861:Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins