Targeting of Heterochromatin Assembly in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

描述（由申请人提供）：异染色质参与调控广泛的细胞过程，包括基因表达、染色体分离和细胞分化。然而，将异染色质靶向基因组特定区域的机制尚未完全了解。当我们发现从异染色质着丝粒序列合成的双链RNA被RNAi机制快速加工，导致异染色质序列特异性靶向着丝粒时，我们对这个问题有了深入的了解。这项提议的主要目标是确定基因组的特定区域如何成为异染色质组装的目标。我们的具体目标是：1）确定着丝粒重复序列是重要的异染色质组装。尽管已知着丝粒重复序列足以募集异染色质，但这些着丝粒序列中的哪一个对于异染色质组装是重要的以及它们如何发挥募集沉默的作用尚不清楚。我们将通过分析不同着丝粒重复序列募集异染色质组装到异位常染色质位点的能力来直接测试这一点。2)确定RNA介导的异染色质形成是否通常发生在顺式或反式。我们将解决是否位于异染色质区域的着丝粒重复序列在裂变酵母功能招募异染色质组装顺式或更确切地说，作为异染色质靶向通过沉默信号，如着丝粒小RNA产生的反式。3）确定参与异染色质组装的启动因素。在具体目标3中，我们将使用一种策略组合来鉴定参与异染色质组装起始的新因子。异染色质被限制在离散的染色体区域是重要的，因为异染色质的不适当靶向可导致基因表达的失调和人类疾病如癌症的发作。我们的研究可能会导致技术的发展，允许操纵异染色质结构域，这将是非常有用的，不仅作为实验工具来研究基因功能，而且作为潜在的治疗人类疾病。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Heterochromatin has been implicated in the regulation of a wide range of cellular processes including gene expression, chromosome segregation and cellular differentiation. The mechanisms involved in targeting heterochromatin to specific regions of the genome, however, are not fully understood. We gained insight into this problem when we found that double stranded RNA synthesized from heterochromatic centromeric sequences becomes rapidly processed by the RNAi machinery resulting in sequence specific targeting of heterochromatin to centromeres. The main goal of this proposal is to determine how specific regions of the genome become targeted for heterochromatin assembly. Our specific aims are to: 1) Identify the centromeric repeat sequences that are important for heterochromatin assembly. Although it is known that centromeric repeats are sufficient to recruit heterochromatin, precisely which of these centromeric sequences are important for heterochromatin assembly and how they function to recruit silencing is not clear. We will directly test this by assaying the ability of various centromeric repeat sequences to recruit heterochromatin assembly to an ectopic euchromatic site. 2) Determine whether RNA mediated heterochromatin formation normally occurs in cis or in trans. We will address whether the centromeric repeat sequences located at heterochromatic regions in fission yeast function to recruit heterochromatin assembly in cis or rather act as targets for heterochromatin targeting via silencing signals, such as centromeric small RNAs generated in trans. 3) Identify factors involved in initiation of heterochromatin assembly. In specific aim 3 we will use a combination of strategies to identify novel factors involved in initiation of heterochromatin assembly. It is important that heterochromatin be confined to discrete chromosomal regions since improper targeting of heterochromatin can lead to misregulation of gene expression and onset of human diseases such as cancer. Our studies may lead to the development of techniques that allow manipulation of heterochromatic domains which would be extremely useful not only as experimental tools to study gene function but also as potential treatments for human disease.