Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on April 3, 2007.

Genetics, Vol. 176, 1343-1349, June 2007, Copyright © 2007
doi:10.1534/genetics.107.071720

Transcription of the 1.688 Satellite DNA Family Is Under the Control of RNA Interference Machinery in Drosophila melanogaster Ovaries

Lev Usakin*,{dagger}, José Abad{ddagger}, Vasily V. Vagin*,1, Beatriz de Pablos{ddagger}, Alfredo Villasante{ddagger} and Vladimir A. Gvozdev*,2

* Department of Animal Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Moscow 123182, Russia, {dagger} Department of Molecular Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia and {ddagger} Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain

2 Corresponding author: Department of Animal Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Kurchatov sq. 2, Moscow 123182, Russia.
E-mail: gvozdev{at}img.ras.ru

Here we show that RNA interference (RNAi) machinery operates in Drosophila melanogaster 1.688 satellite transcription. Mutation in the spn-E gene, known to be involved in RNAi in the oocytes, causes an increase of satellite transcript abundance. Transcripts of both strands of 1.688 satellite repeats in germinal tissues were detected. The strength of the effects of the spn-E mutation differs for 1.688 satellite DNA subfamilies and is more pronounced for autosomal pericentromeric satellites compared to the X-linked centromeric ones. The spn-E1 mutation causes an increase of the H3-AcK9 mark and TAF1 (a component of the polymerase II transcriptional complex) occupancy in the chromatin of autosomal pericentromeric repeats. Thus, we revealed that RNAi operates in ovaries to maintain the silenced state of centromeric and pericentromeric 1.688 repeats.


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Genetics 2007 176: NP. [Full Text]