Transcription termination is emerging as an important component of gene regulation necessary to partition the genome and minimize transcriptional interference. We have discovered a role for the Arabidopsis RNA silencing enzyme DICER-LIKE 4 (DCL4) in transcription termination of an endogenous Arabidopsis gene, FCA. DCL4 directly associates with FCA chromatin in the 3' region and promotes cleavage of the nascent transcript in a domain downstream of the canonical polyA site. In a dcl4 mutant, the resulting transcriptional read-through triggers an RNA interference–mediated gene silencing of a transgene containing the same 3' region. We conclude that DCL4 promotes transcription termination of the Arabidopsis FCA gene, reducing the amount of aberrant RNA produced from the locus.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1621-1623 |
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Number of pages | 3 |
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Journal | Science |
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Volume | 335 |
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Issue number | 6076 |
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DOIs | |
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Publication status | Published - 30 Mar 2012 |
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- General
- History and Philosophy of Science