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Updated: May 24, 2026

Chromatin Isolation by RNA Purification (ChIRP)
Published on: March 25, 2012
Inheritance of silent rDNA chromatin is mediated by PARP1 via noncoding RNA
Claudio Guetg1, Fabian Scheifele, Florian Rosenthal
1Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Faithful propagation of specific chromatin states requires re-establishment of epigenetic marks after every cell division. How the original epigenetic signature is inherited after disruption during DNA replication is still poorly understood. Here, we show that the poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase-1 (PARP1/ARTD1) is implicated in the maintenance of silent rDNA chromatin during cell division. We demonstrate that PARP1 associates with TIP5, a subunit of the NoRC complex, via the noncoding pRNA and binds to silent rRNA genes after their replication in mid-late S phase. PARP1 represses rRNA transcription and is implicated in the formation of silent rDNA chromatin. Silent rDNA chromatin is a specific substrate for ADP-ribosylation and the enzymatic activity of PARP1 is necessary to establish rDNA silencing. The data unravel a function of PARP1 and ADP-ribosylation that serves to allow for the inheritance of silent chromatin structures, shedding light on how epigenetic marks are transmitted during each cell cycle.
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