A SUMO E3 ligase promotes long non-coding RNA transcription to regulate small RNA-directed DNA elimination

Autor: Salman Shehzada, Tomoko Noto, Julie Saksouk, Kazufumi Mochizuki
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: eLife, Vol 13 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2050-084X
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.95337
Popis: Small RNAs target their complementary chromatin regions for gene silencing through nascent long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). In the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena, the interaction between Piwi-associated small RNAs (scnRNAs) and the nascent lncRNA transcripts from the somatic genome has been proposed to induce target-directed small RNA degradation (TDSD), and scnRNAs not targeted for TDSD later target the germline-limited sequences for programmed DNA elimination. In this study, we show that the SUMO E3 ligase Ema2 is required for the accumulation of lncRNAs from the somatic genome and thus for TDSD and completing DNA elimination to make viable sexual progeny. Ema2 interacts with the SUMO E2 conjugating enzyme Ubc9 and enhances SUMOylation of the transcription regulator Spt6. We further show that Ema2 promotes the association of Spt6 and RNA polymerase II with chromatin. These results suggest that Ema2-directed SUMOylation actively promotes lncRNA transcription, which is a prerequisite for communication between the genome and small RNAs.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals