Analyses of Early- and Late-scnRNAs of Tetrahymena

In the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena, de novo heterochromatin body formation is accompanied by programmed DNA elimination. We previously reported that dephosphorylation of the HP1-like protein Pdd1p is required for the formation of heterochromatin bodies during the process of programmed DNA elimination in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena. Here, we show that the heterochromatin body component Jub4p is required for Pdd1p phosphorylation, heterochromatin body formation and DNA elimination. Moreover, our analyses of unphosphorylatable Pdd1p mutants demonstrate that Pdd1p phosphorylation is required for heterochromatin body formation and DNA elimination, while it is dispensable for local heterochromatin assembly. Therefore, both phosphorylation and the following dephosphorylation of Pdd1p are necessary to facilitate the formation of heterochromatin bodies. We suggest that Jub4p-mediated phosphorylation of Pdd1p creates a chromatin environment that is a prerequisite for subsequent heterochromatin body assembly and DNA elimination. Overall design: 26 to 32-nt small RNAs from various mutants were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing