Silent pericentromeric repeats speak out
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Pericentromeres are essential structural components of the chromosome that function to ensure proper sister chromatid segregation during cell division. These chromosomal domains are composed of major satellite DNA repeats whose constitutively heterochromatic structure facilitates kinetochore formation (1). Characteristically demarcated by the silencing histone mark trimethyl-histone-3-lysine-9, pericentromeres had long been thought to be transcriptionally silent. However, recent reports have demonstrated that transcription from pericentromeric satellite repeats is required for proper chromosome formation during differentiation (2, 3). Aberrant transcription from these regions has also been observed in certain cancers (4, 5). Thus far, the biological relevance of the resulting RNA products has remained a mystery. In PNAS, Bersani et al. (6) and Tanne et al. (7) have now ascribed distinct functional properties to a specific class of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that are produced from pericentromeric satellite repeats in cancer cells. The findings from these complementary studies have broad implications for the role of repeat-derived ncRNAs in cancer development and prognosis.
Authors: Scott T. Younger, John L. Rinn
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2290910343