Authors:
Dilek Colak, Nikica Zaninovic, Michael S. Cohen, Zev Rosenwaks, Wang-Yong Yang, Jeannine Gerhardt, Matthew D. Disney, & Samie R. Jaffrey
Summary:
Epigenetic gene silencing is seen in several repeat-expansion diseases. In fragile X syndrome, the most common genetic form of mental retardation, a CGG trinucleotide–repeat expansion adjacent to the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene promoter results in its epigenetic silencing. Here, we show that FMR1 silencing is mediated by the FMR1 mRNA. The FMR1 mRNA contains the transcribed CGG-repeat tract as part of the 5′ untranslated region, which hybridizes to the complementary CGG-repeat portion of the FMR1 gene to form an RNA•DNA duplex. Disrupting the interaction of the mRNA with the CGG-repeat portion of the FMR1 gene prevents promoter silencing. Thus, our data link trinucleotide-repeat expansion to a form of RNA-directed gene silencing mediated by direct interactions of the trinucleotide-repeat RNA and DNA.
Source:
Science; Vol. 343, No. 6174, 1002-1005 (02/28/14)