A constitutive heterochromatic region shapes genome organization and impacts gene expression in Neurospora crassa

Andrew T. Reckard, Abhishek Pandeya, Jacob M. Voris, Carlos G. Gonzalez Cruz, Oluwatosin Oluwadare, Andrew D. Klocko

Abstract: Organization of the eukaryotic genome is essential for proper function, including gene expression. In metazoans, chromatin loops and Topologically Associated Domains (TADs) organize genes into transcription factories, while chromosomes occupy nuclear territories in which silent heterochromatin is compartmentalized at the nuclear periphery and active euchromatin localizes to the nucleus center. A similar hierarchical organization occurs in the fungus Neurospora crassa where its seven chromosomes form a Rabl conformation typified by heterochromatic centromeres and telomeres independently clustering at the nuclear membrane, while interspersed heterochromatic loci aggregate across Megabases of linear genomic distance to loop chromatin in TAD-like structures. However, the role of individual heterochromatic loci in normal genome organization and function is unknown.

External IDs:doi:10.1186/s12864-024-11110-7