AGO-1 associated sRNAs in the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Small silencing RNAs (sRNAs) associate with Argonaute (AGO) proteins forming effector complexes with key roles in gene regulation and defense responses against molecular parasites. In multicellular eukaryotes, extensive duplication and diversification of RNA interference (RNAi) components have resulted in intricate pathways for epigenetic control of gene expression. The alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has an RNAi machinery more complex than might be expected for a unicellular organism, including three AGOs, three Dicer-like (DCL) proteins and a diverse assortment of sRNAs. FLAG-tagged AGO1 was affinity purified and sRNAs associated with AGO1 were purified and contaminant DNA was removed by DNase I treatment.