Physics of transcription regulation by the assembly of transcriptional condensate and the transcription of enhancer sequence

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K03479
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 13040:Biophysics, chemical physics and soft matter physics-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Yamamoto Tetsuya 北海道大学, 化学反応創成研究拠点, 特任准教授 (40610027)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ヘテロクロマチン / リピート配列 / RNA干渉経路 / 転写 / 高分子の表面吸着

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Heterochromatin in fission yeasts is assembled by RNAi pathway. Recent experiments have shown that tandemly repeated genes are favorable substrates for RNAi-mediated heterochromatin (repeat induced RNAi). The connectivity of these repeated genes implies that polymer physics is useful to understand the repeat induced RNAi. In this research, we have taken into account the essence of the surface adhesion of polymers in an extension of the kinetic equations of RNAi pathway to predict the mechanism of repeat induced RNAi. We have shown that not only the number of genes in the tandem repeat, but also the length of each gene are critical factors that determine the assembly of heterochromatin. This research has revealed one of the biophysical functions of repeated genes.

Free Research Field

遺伝子制御の物理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果は、①リピート配列の生物物理学的意義と②相分離以外のヘテロクロマチン形成機構を明らかにした点で重要である。RNA干渉経路のようなシステム生物学的アプローチが適当な系に、遺伝子の連結性という構造的要素を加えて融合した点も新しい。本研究成果は、pRNA経路などの小分子RNAの生成によってヘテロクロマチンが形成される系だけでなく、リボソームDNA、ヒストン遺伝子、スーパーエンハンサなどのリピート配列（または、同じ機能配列が連結した領域）と核内構造体との相互作用を明らかにする研究に拡張することができる。