Biology:RevCen
| RevCen | |
|---|---|
 Conserved secondary structure of RevCen RNA. | |
| Identifiers | |
| Symbol | RevCen |
| Other data | |
| RNA type | Gene; pre-miRNA |
| Domain(s) | Schizosaccharomyces |
| PDB structures | PDBe |
RevCen is a family of non-coding RNA found in Schizosaccharomyces. It is a megastructure containing several siRNA which use the RNAi pathway to regulate heterochromatin formation. The long RNA transcript forms a secondary structure with several stem-loops which are processed by dicer into siRNA. This siRNA then initiate the formation of heterochromatin at the centromeres of fission yeast.[1] Northern blot analysis confirmed the siRNAs were produced from the large RNA structure RevCen in vivo. As with all siRNAs, the enzyme dicer is responsible for dissecting dsRNA into the 21nt stretch of double-stranded RNA. Human recombinant dicer enzyme processed the RevCen structure in vitro, though the same activity by yeast Dcr1 has not been confirmed.[1]
This is a different mechanism to that involving the well-understood RITS (RNA-induced initiation of transcriptional gene silencing) complex.[2][3] It has been suggested that both mechanisms work together, with the RevCen structure potentially acting as a backup system when Rdp1-generated double-stranded siRNA precursors are lost.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Analysis of small RNA in fission yeast; centromeric siRNAs are potentially generated through a structured RNA". EMBO J. 28 (24): 3832–3844. December 2009. doi:10.1038/emboj.2009.351. PMID 19942857.
- ↑ "RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is an essential component of a self-enforcing loop coupling heterochromatin assembly to siRNA production". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102 (1): 152–157. January 2005. doi:10.1073/pnas.0407641102. PMID 15615848.
- ↑ "RNAi-mediated targeting of heterochromatin by the RITS complex". Science 303 (5658): 672–676. January 2004. doi:10.1126/science.1093686. PMID 14704433.
Further reading
- Vavasseur (2008). "Heterochromatin Assembly and Transcriptional Gene Silencing under the Control of Nuclear RNAi: Lessons from Fission Yeast". RNA and the Regulation of Gene Expression: A Hidden Layer of Complexity. Norfolk: Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-25-7. http://www.horizonpress.com/rnareg.
- "A single Argonaute protein mediates both transcriptional and posttranscriptional silencing in Schizosaccharomyces pombe". Genes Dev. 18 (19): 2359–2367. October 2004. doi:10.1101/gad.1218004. PMID 15371329. PMC 522986. http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=15371329. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- "Centromeres of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are highly variable genetic loci". Mol. Cell. Biol. 13 (8): 4578–4587. August 1993. doi:10.1128/MCB.13.8.4578. PMID 8336703.
- "A large number of tRNA genes are symmetrically located in fission yeast centromeres". J. Mol. Biol. 218 (1): 13–17. March 1991. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(91)90867-6. PMID 2002498.
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