A Stress-blinded Atf1 Can Fully Assemble Heterochromatin in a RNAi-independent Minimal Mat Locus but Impairs Directionality of Switching

Overview

Journal iScience

Publisher Cell Press

Date 2022 Aug 22

PMID 35992058

Authors

Rodrigo Fraile

Laura Sanchez-Mir

Guillem Murciano-Julia

Jose Ayte

Elena Hidalgo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The MAP kinase Sty1 phosphorylates and activates the transcription factor Atf1 in response to several stress conditions, which then shifts from a transcriptional repressor to an activator. Atf1 also participates in heterochromatin assembly at the locus, in combination with the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. Here, we study the role of signal-dependent phosphorylation of Atf1 in heterochromatin establishment at , using different Atf1 phospho mutants. Although a hypo-phosphorylation Atf1 mutant, Atf1.10M, mediates heterochromatin assembly, the phosphomimic Atf1.10D is unable to maintain silencing. In a minimal locus, lacking the RNAi-recruiting elements and displaying intermediate silencing, Atf1.10M restores full heterochromatin and silencing. However, evolution experiments with this stress-blinded Atf1.10M show that it is unable to facilitate switching between the donor site and . We propose that the unphosphorylated, inactive Atf1 contributes to proper heterochromatin assembly by recruiting repressive complexes, but its stress-dependent phosphorylation is required for recombination/switching to occur.

Citing Articles

Heat stress-induced activation of MAPK pathway attenuates Atf1-dependent epigenetic inheritance of heterochromatin in fission yeast.

Sun L, Liu L, Song C, Wang Y, Jin Q Elife. 2024; 13.

PMID: 38289024 PMC: 10863984. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.90525.

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