The ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena identifies TE-derived sequences by a germline-some genome comparison mechanism using small RNAs during programmed DNA elimination, which provides fascinating examples of epigenetic genome regulations and important insights into the interaction between TEs and host genomes. Because programmed DNA elimination can be synchronously induced in laboratory in a large scale, it serves as a useful laboratory model for genetically and biochemically investigating small RNA-mediated chromatin regulation.
Using this tiny-hairy eukaryotic model, we aim to understand: how cells accumulate small RNAs specifically from TE-related sequences; how cells use those small RNAs to identify TE-related sequences; and how a small RNA pathway establishes silent chromatin environment (heterochromatin) on TE-related sequences.
Team leader
Kazufumi MOCHIZUKI
kazufumi.mochizuki@igh.cnrs.fr |