Sub-telomeric core X and Y' elements in S. cerevisiae suppress extreme variations in gene silencing.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 21437278.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0017523 and PMC identifier 3060084.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Telomere Position Effect (TPE) is governed by strong repression signals emitted by telomeres via the Sir2/3/4 Histone Deacetylase complex. These signals are then relayed by weak proto-silencers residing in the subtelomeric core X and Y' elements. Subtelomeres also contain Sub-Telomeric Anti-silencing Regions (STARs). In this study we have prepared telomeres built of different combinations of core X, Y' and STARs and have analyzed them in strains lacking Histone-Acetyltransferase genes as well as in cdc6-1 and Δrif1 strains. We show that core X and Y' dramatically reduce both positive and negative variations in TPE, that are caused by these mutations. We also show that the deletion of Histone-Acetyltransferase genes reduce the silencing activity of an ACS proto-silencer, but also reduce the anti-silencing activity of a STAR. We postulate that core X and Y' act as epigenetic "cushioning" cis-elements.
Medical subject headings
- Gene Silencing
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- Telomere