GSE67585
Expression of subtelomeric lncRNAs links telomeres maintenance with RNA decay in S. cerevisiae
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to regulate gene expression, chromatin domains and chromosome stability in eukaryotic cells. Recent observations have reported the existence of telomere associated long ncRNAs (TERRA, telomeric repeat containing RNA) in mammalian and yeast cells but their function(s) remain(s) poorly characterized. Here, we report the existence in S. cerevisiae of several sense and antisense Cryptic Unstable Transcripts (CUTs) and Xrn1-sensitive Unstable Transcripts (XUT) initiating within the subtelomeric repeated region Y'. We show that the Y' ncRNAs, subTERRA, are distinct from TERRA and are mainly destabilized by the general cytoplasmic and nuclear 5'- and 3'- RNA decays in a sense-dependent manner. subTERRA transcription is mainly sustained by RNAPII and subTERRA accumulate preferentially during the G1/S transition and in C-terminal rap1 mutants independently of Rap1p function in silencing. The accumulation of subTERRA in RNA decay mutants coincides with telomere misregulation: shortening of telomere length, loss of telomeric clustering in mitotic cells, indicating that subTERRA might compete with factors involved in telomere elongation, tethering and/or clustering. We propose that subtelomeric RNAs expression links telomere maintenance with RNA degradation pathways. Overall design: Exmination of two yeast mutants for RNA decay.