title: Dicer independent small RNAs associate with telomeric heterochromatin.
abstract: Small RNAs play important roles in the establishment and maintenance of heterochromatin structures. We show the presence of telomere specific small RNAs (tel-sRNAs) in mouse embryonic stem cells that are approximately 24 nucleotides in length, Dicer-independent, and 2'-O-methylated at the 3' terminus. The tel-sRNAs are asymmetric with specificity toward telomere G-rich strand, and evolutionarily conserved from protozoan to mammalian cells. Furthermore, tel-sRNAs are up-regulated in cells that carry null mutation of H3K4 methyltransferase MLL (Mll((-/-))) and down-regulated in cells that carry null mutations of histone H3K9 methyltransferase SUV39H (Suv39h1/h2((-/-))), suggesting that they are subject to epigenetic regulation. These results support that tel-sRNAs are heterochromatin associated pi-like small RNAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Xiangzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hiew
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: Yifan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000502:physiology*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000502:physiology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase / Q000502:physiology; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051788:Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein / Q000502:physiology; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*; D035321:Telomeric Repeat Binding Protein 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013768:Tetrahymena / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin; D006657:Histones; D035683:MicroRNAs; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D035321:Telomeric Repeat Binding Protein 1; D051788:Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein; C498700:Suv39h1 protein, mouse; D008780:Methyltransferases; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; C497423:Kmt2a protein, mouse; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C509781:Dicer1 protein, mouse; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases