6533b853fe1ef96bd12ac1be
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The histone deacetylase Rpd3 regulates the heterochromatin structure of Drosophila telomeres
Giosalba BurgioAntonia M. R. IngrassiaFrancesca CipressaDavide CoronaGiovanni Cencisubject
Telomere-binding proteinGeneticsEpigenomicsMaleHistone deacetylase 5Histone deacetylase 2HDAC11Histone Deacetylase 1Cell BiologyBiologyTelomereHistone H4Telomere HomeostasisDrosophila melanogasterHeterochromatinHistone H2Ahistone deacetylaseHistone codeAnimalsDrosophila Proteinsanimals; article; chromosome aberration; chromosome structure; drosophila; drosophila melanogaster; drosophila proteins; enzyme activity; epigenetics; epigenomics; eukaryota; heterochromatin; histone acetylation; histone deacetylase 1; histone deacetylase rpd 3; histone methylation; male; mammalia; nonhuman; polytene chromosome; priority journal; regulatory mechanism; telomere; unclassified drugPolytene Chromosomesdescription
Telomeres are specialized structures at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that are required to preserve genome integrity, chromosome stability and nuclear architecture. Telomere maintenance and function are established epigenetically in several eukaryotes. However, the exact chromatin enzymatic modifications regulating telomere homeostasis are poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster, telomere length and stability are maintained through the retrotransposition of specialized telomeric sequences and by the specific loading of protecting capping proteins, respectively. Here, we show that the loss of the essential and evolutionarily conserved histone deacetylase Rpd3, the homolog of mammalian HDAC1, causes aberrant telomeric fusions on polytene chromosome ends. Remarkably, these telomere fusion defects are associated with a marked decrease of histone H4 acetylation, as well as an accumulation of heterochromatic epigenetic marks at telomeres, including histone H3K9 trimethylation and the heterochromatic protein HP2. Our work suggests that Drosophila telomere structure is epigenetically regulated by the histone deacetylase Rpd3.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-01-01 |