Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures at chromosome ends that are required to completely replicate the linear DNA and to distinguish the natural chromosome end from a double strand chromosome break for purposes of DNA repair. In Drosophila, chromosome ends are maintained by the targeted transposition of three retrotransposons, HeT-A,TAHRE and TART. A transgene inserted in the telomere between the subterminal telomere associated sequence (TAS) and the terminal retrotransposon array, or within TAS, is repressed and variegates. This variegation, termed telomeric position effect (TPE), appears to be due to an interaction of repression induced by TAS and activation initiated by transcription of the retrotransposons. Previous studies have identified genetic conditions in which TPE occurs and conditions in which it is suppressed. The purpose of this project is to identify changes in chromatin structure associated active and suppressed TPE. Nucleosome arrays are monitored by Micrococcal nuclease and DNase 1 digestion, and protein content assayed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. To date, no differences in the nucleosome array have been identified between TAS and the retrotransposon array, but protein content varies between these DNA domains. TAS preferentially binds chromatin proteins associated with heterochromatin, while the retrotransposons preferentially bind proteins associated with active chromatin.
| Frydrychova, Radmila Capkova; Mason, James M; Archer, Trevor K (2008) HP1 is distributed within distinct chromatin domains at Drosophila telomeres. Genetics 180:121-31 |
| Mason, James M; Frydrychova, Radmila Capkova; Biessmann, Harald (2008) Drosophila telomeres: an exception providing new insights. Bioessays 30:25-37 |
| Frydrychova, Radmila Capkova; Biessmann, Harald; Konev, Alexander Y et al. (2007) Transcriptional activity of the telomeric retrotransposon HeT-A in Drosophila melanogaster is stimulated as a consequence of subterminal deficiencies at homologous and nonhomologous telomeres. Mol Cell Biol 27:4991-5001 |
