Highlights •B2 repeat RNA controls stress genes by suppressing transcriptional elongation •Upon heat shock, EZH2 is recruited to stress genes to activate expression •A specific interaction between EZH2 and B2 RNA results in RNA cleavage •B2 cleavage relieves transcriptional suppression and triggers the stress response
A study from MGH investigators has found a surprising role for what had been considered a nonfunctional “junk” RNA molecule: controlling the cellular response to stress. A highly specific interaction between 2 elements previously known to repress gene transcription – B2 RNA and EZH2, an enzyme previously known only to silence genes – actually induces the expression of stress-response genes in mouse cells.
“EZH2 is part of a structure called the Polycomb Repressive Com...
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