Dicer is required for chromosome segregation and gene silencing in fission yeast cells.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
RNA interference is a form of gene silencing in which the nuclease Dicer cleaves double-stranded RNA into small interfering RNAs. Here we report a role for Dicer in chromosome segregation of fission yeast. Deletion of the Dicer (dcr1+) gene caused slow growth, sensitivity to thiabendazole, lagging chromosomes during anaphase, and abrogated silencing of centromeric repeats. As Dicer in other species, Dcr1p degraded double-stranded RNA into approximately 23 nucleotide fragments in vitro, and dcr1Delta cells were partially rescued by expression of human Dicer, indicating evolutionarily conserved functions. Expression profiling demonstrated that dcr1+ was required for silencing of two genes containing a conserved motif.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America |
Volume | 99 |
Issue number | 26 |
Pages (from-to) | 16648-53 |
Number of pages | 5 |
ISSN | 0027-8424 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Keywords: Chromosome Segregation; Endoribonucleases; Gene Silencing; Humans; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Ribonuclease III; Schizosaccharomyces
ID: 5070795