title: RNA elimination machinery targeting meiotic mRNAs promotes facultative heterochromatin formation.
abstract: Facultative heterochromatin that changes during cellular differentiation coordinates regulated gene expression, but its assembly is poorly understood. Here, we describe facultative heterochromatin islands in fission yeast and show that their formation at meiotic genes requires factors that eliminate meiotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) during vegetative growth. Blocking production of meiotic mRNA or loss of RNA elimination factors, including Mmi1 and Red1 proteins, abolishes heterochromatin islands. RNA elimination machinery is enriched at meiotic loci and interacts with Clr4/SUV39h, a methyltransferase involved in heterochromatin assembly. Heterochromatin islands disassemble in response to nutritional signals that induce sexual differentiation. This process involves the antisilencing factor Epe1, the loss of which causes dramatic increase in heterochromatic loci. Our analyses uncover unexpected regulatory roles for mRNA-processing factors that assemble dynamic heterochromatin to modulate gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zofall
authors.forename: Soichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Francisca E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Reyes-Turcu
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chanan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Shiv I S
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Grewal
mesh_terms: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D000072159:Dynactin Complex; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D039221:mRNA Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D000072159:Dynactin Complex; D006570:Heterochromatin; D006657:Histones; D008868:Microtubule Proteins; C512176:Mmi1 protein, S pombe; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; C499098:Ssm4 protein, S pombe; C475031:epe1 protein, S pombe; D039221:mRNA Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factors; C489539:mei4 protein, S pombe; D008780:Methyltransferases; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; C112744:clr4 protein, S pombe; D009584:Nitrogen