SAD-3, a Putative Helicase Required for Meiotic Silencing by Unpaired DNA, Interacts with Other Components of the Silencing Machinery

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Thomas M. Hammond¹  Erin C. Boone¹  Tony D. Perdue²  Patricia J. Pukkila²  Hua Xiao¹  Patrick K. T. Shiu¹ 

[1] Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211;Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599

关键词: epigenetics;    meiosis;    MSUD;    RNA interference;   

DOI  :  10.1534/g3.111.000570

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Genetics Society of America

【 摘 要 】

In Neurospora crassa, genes lacking a pairing partner during meiosis are suppressed by a process known as meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD). To identify novel MSUD components, we have developed a high-throughput reverse-genetic screen for use with the N. crassa knockout library. Here we describe the screening method and the characterization of a gene (sad-3) subsequently discovered. SAD-3 is a putative helicase required for MSUD and sexual spore production. It exists in a complex with other known MSUD proteins in the perinuclear region, a center for meiotic silencing activity. Orthologs of SAD-3 include Schizosaccharomyces pombe Hrr1, a helicase required for RNAi-induced heterochromatin formation. Both SAD-3 and Hrr1 interact with an RNA-directed RNA polymerase and an Argonaute, suggesting that certain aspects of silencing complex formation may be conserved between the two fungal species.

【 授权许可】

Unknown