Analyses of Early- and Late-scnRNAs of Tetrahymena

In this study, we demonstrated that there is a novel, unanticipated mechanism regulating programmed DNA elimination: a genome-wide trans-recognition network for IES identification. In this mechanism, Early-scnRNAs produced from Type-A IESs in the MIC identify not only the IESs from which they are derived but also other IESs in trans to trigger the cis-spreading of Late-scnRNA production in the IESs. This cis-spreading of Late-scnRNA production requires heterochromatin formation . Furthermore, these Late-scnRNAs can recognize other IESs in trans. This “chain reaction” of Late-scnRNA production by the trans-recognition network most likely provides strong robustness in DNA elimination by buffering cell-to-cell variability in the initial Early-scnRNA populations. Overall design: 26 to 32-nt small RNAs from various mutants or from immuno precipitated with Argonaute proteins were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing