Recognition and silencing of a new transposable element - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #transposable elements
- #heterochromatin
- #RNA silencing
- Study investigates how cells recognize new transposable elements (TEs) they have not encountered before.
- Insertion of foreign sequences in S. pombe shows new TE tj1 is targeted by RNAi and heterochromatin for silencing.
- Silencing efficiency depends on TE copy number and insertion location.
- Recognition is triggered by RNA sensing, not DNA, correlating with levels of antisense RNA from upstream transcripts.
- Silencing can be initiated by non-transposable genes, suggesting disruption of host transcription triggers TE recognition.