Point centromere activity requires an optimal level of centromeric noncoding RNA

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Mar 26;116(13):6270-6279. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1821384116. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Abstract

In budding yeast, which possesses simple point centromeres, we discovered that all of its centromeres express long noncoding RNAs (cenRNAs), especially in S phase. Induction of cenRNAs coincides with CENP-ACse4 loading time and is dependent on DNA replication. Centromeric transcription is repressed by centromere-binding factor Cbf1 and histone H2A variant H2A.ZHtz1 Deletion of CBF1 and H2A.ZHTZ1 results in an up-regulation of cenRNAs; an increased loss of a minichromosome; elevated aneuploidy; a down-regulation of the protein levels of centromeric proteins CENP-ACse4, CENP-A chaperone HJURPScm3, CENP-CMif2, SurvivinBir1, and INCENPSli15; and a reduced chromatin localization of CENP-ACse4, CENP-CMif2, and Aurora BIpl1 When the RNA interference system was introduced to knock down all cenRNAs from the endogenous chromosomes, but not the cenRNA from the circular minichromosome, an increase in minichromosome loss was still observed, suggesting that cenRNA functions in trans to regulate centromere activity. CenRNA knockdown partially alleviates minichromosome loss in cbf1Δ, htz1Δ, and cbf1Δ htz1Δ in a dose-dependent manner, demonstrating that cenRNA level is tightly regulated to epigenetically control point centromere function.

Keywords: centromere-binding factor Cbf1; centromeric transcription; chromosome instability; histone H2A variant Htz1; long noncoding RNA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aurora Kinases / metabolism
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Centromere / genetics
  • Centromere / metabolism*
  • Chromatin / metabolism
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / metabolism
  • Chromosome Segregation / physiology*
  • Chromosomes, Fungal
  • DNA Replication
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Deletion
  • Histones / genetics
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism
  • RNA Interference / physiology
  • RNA, Untranslated / metabolism*
  • S Phase
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
  • Saccharomycetales / metabolism*
  • Up-Regulation

Substances

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors
  • Bir1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • CBF1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • CSE4 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Chromatin
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Histones
  • Htz1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • MIF2 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • RNA, Untranslated
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Scm3 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Sli15 protein, S cerevisiae
  • centromere protein C
  • Aurora Kinases
  • IPL1 protein, S cerevisiae