Roles of the ribosomal RNA gene to maintain genome stability

编码核糖体RNA的基因是真核生物基因组中最丰富的基因。它们驻留在串联重复的集群中，在某些情况下总共有数百个副本。由于其重复结构，核糖体RNA基因重复序列是染色体中最脆弱的位点之一。核糖体RNA基因重复序列的不寻常性质影响细胞功能。在本研究中，我们建立了一个人工操纵rDNA稳定性的系统，并发现rDNA稳定性影响酵母的寿命。此外，我们发现拷贝数决定了对DNA损伤的敏感性，特别是非转录拷贝作为修复酶的“立足点”。此外，重复长度影响染色体分离率。

The genes encoding ribosomal RNA are the most abundant genes in the eukaryotic genome. They reside in tandem repetitive clusters, in some cases totaling hundreds of copies. Due to their repetitive structure, the ribosomal RNA gene repeats are some of the most fragile sites in the chromosome. The unusual nature of ribosomal RNA gene repeats affects cellular functions. In this study, we established a system in which rDNA stability is artificially manipulated and found that rDNA stability affects the yeast lifespan. In addition, we found that the copy number determines sensitivity to DNA damage, especially, non-transcibed copies function as "foothold" for repair enzymes. Moreover, repeat length affect the chromosome segregation rate.