engleski

Developmental and environmental regulation of heterochromatin transcription

Chromatin condensation is a way of gene silencing, as evident for the hundreds of functional protein genes harboured in heterochromatic regions. Being the major heterochromatin constituents satellite DNA sequences are supposed to play important roles in heterochromatin regulation. RNA Pol II transcription from pericentromeric satellite DNA elements occurs in all developmental stages, being the highest during embryogenesis. Satellite DNA transcripts range from small RNAs (siRNAs) to very large RNAs and preferentially remain in the nucleus. The actively regulated expression of satellite DNAs by cis or trans elements as well as by environmental stress speaks in favour of their involvement in differentiation, development and environmental stress response.

epigenetics; transcription; non-coding RNA; heterochromatin

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