Transcription and RNAi in heterochromatic gene silencing

Abstract

Recent findings have challenged the longstanding belief that heterochromatin is an inert and transcriptionally inactive structure. Studies in organisms ranging from fission yeast to animals have found that noncoding RNAs transcribed from heterochromatic DNA repeats function in the assembly and function of heterochromatin. In this review, we discuss the roles of RNA and RNA turnover in mechanisms that mediate heterochromatin assembly and keep heterochromatic domains silent.