Chromatin-associated RNA interference components contribute to transcriptional regulation in Drosophila

RNA interference (RNAi) pathways have evolved as important modulators of gene expression that operate in the cytoplasm by degrading RNA target molecules through the activity of short (21-30 nucleotide) RNAs1-6. RNAi components have been reported to have a role in the nucleus, as they are involved in epigenetic regulation and heterochromatin formation(7-10). However, although RNAi-mediated post-transcriptional gene silencing is well documented, the mechanisms of RNAi-mediated transcriptional gene silencing and, in particular, the role of RNAi components in chromatin dynamics, especially in animal multicellular organisms, are elusive. Here we show that the key RNAi components Dicer 2 (DCR2) a…