Ana-Maria Raicu, Patricia Castanheira, David N Arnosti
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor proteins (Rb) are highly conserved metazoan transcriptional corepressors involved in regulating the expression of thousands of genes. The vertebrate lineage and the Drosophila genus independently experienced an Rb gene duplication event, leading to the expression of several Rb paralogs whose unique and redundant roles in gene regulation remain to be fully explored. Here, we used a novel CRISPRi system in Drosophila to identify the significance of paralogy in the Rb family. We engineered dCas9 fusions to the fly Rbf1 and Rbf2 paralogs and deployed them to gene promoters in vivo, studying them in their native chromatin context. By directly querying the in vivo response of dozens of genes to Rbf1 and Rbf2 targeting, using both transcriptional as well as sensitive developmental readouts, we find that Rb paralogs function as "soft repressors" and have highly context-specific activities. Our comparison of targeting endogenous genes to reporter genes in cell culture identified striking differences in activity, underlining the importance of using CRISPRi effectors in a physiologically relevant context to identify paralog-specific activities. Our study uncovers the complexity of Rb-mediated transcriptional regulation in a living organism, and serves as a stepping stone for future CRISPRi development in Drosophila.
期刊介绍:
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics provides a forum for the publication of high‐quality foundational research, particularly research that generates useful genetic and genomic information such as genome maps, single gene studies, genome‐wide association and QTL studies, as well as genome reports, mutant screens, and advances in methods and technology. The Editorial Board of G3 believes that rapid dissemination of these data is the necessary foundation for analysis that leads to mechanistic insights.
G3, published by the Genetics Society of America, meets the critical and growing need of the genetics community for rapid review and publication of important results in all areas of genetics. G3 offers the opportunity to publish the puzzling finding or to present unpublished results that may not have been submitted for review and publication due to a perceived lack of a potential high-impact finding. G3 has earned the DOAJ Seal, which is a mark of certification for open access journals, awarded by DOAJ to journals that achieve a high level of openness, adhere to Best Practice and high publishing standards.