PUBLICATION

RNAi-Mediated Gene silencing in Zebrafish Triggered by Convergent Transcription

Authors
Andrews, O.E., Cha, D.J., Wei, C., Patton, J.G.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140610-8
Date
2014
Source
Scientific Reports   4: 5222 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Patton, James G.
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Gene Expression/genetics
  • Gene Silencing/physiology*
  • Heterochromatin/genetics
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
  • RNA Interference/physiology*
  • RNA, Double-Stranded/genetics
  • Transcription, Genetic/genetics*
  • Transgenes/genetics
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish/physiology
PubMed
24909225 Full text @ Sci. Rep.
Abstract

RNAi based strategies to induce gene silencing are commonly employed in numerous model organisms but have not been extensively used in zebrafish. We found that introduction of transgenes containing convergent transcription units in zebrafish embryos induced stable transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) in cis and trans for reporter (mCherry) and endogenous (One-Eyed Pinhead (OEP) and miR-27a/b) genes. Convergent transcription enabled detection of both sense and antisense transcripts and silencing was suppressed upon Dicer knockdown, indicating processing of double stranded RNA. By ChIP analyses, increased silencing was accompanied by enrichment of the heterochromatin mark H3K9me3 in the two convergently arranged promoters and in the intervening reading frame. Our work demonstrates that convergent transcription can induce gene silencing in zebrafish providing another tool to create specific temporal and spatial control of gene expression.

Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping