Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

7.0K
PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
7.0K
RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

26.5K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
26.5K
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins02:36

RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

9.6K
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
9.6K
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

6.3K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
6.3K
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

17.1K
Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
17.1K
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

7.6K
Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
7.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Analysis of clinical and imaging predictors of response to corticosteroid therapy in inflammatory dacryoadenitis.

Orbit (Amsterdam, Netherlands)·2026
Same author

Updating specificity for the urgent design of an Andes hantavirus RT-qPCR assay.

New microbes and new infections·2026
Same author

The ITM2B-associated retinal dystrophy mutation modifies BRI23 peptide interactions in the human retina.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Supporting-like cells constitute an alternative steroidogenic lineage conserved in amniotes.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

A case of a pathological fracture in the femoral neck due to chondroblastoma: 10-year follow-up without recurrence after curettage and bone grafting.

Journal of surgical case reports·2026
Same author

Reassessment of <i>Aeromonas oralensis</i>. Comment on Mashzhan et al. Whole-Genome Sequencing of a Potentially Novel <i>Aeromonas</i> Species Isolated from Diseased Siberian Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser baerii</i>) Using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing. <i>Microorganisms</i> 2025, <i>13</i>, 1680.

Microorganisms·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 26, 2025

In Vivo Proximity Biotinylation for Protein Interaction Studies in Paramecium tetraurelia
06:43

In Vivo Proximity Biotinylation for Protein Interaction Studies in Paramecium tetraurelia

Published on: September 12, 2025

210

Paramecium Polycomb repressive complex 2 physically interacts with the small RNA-binding PIWI protein to repress

Caridad Miró-Pina1, Olivia Charmant1, Takayuki Kawaguchi1

  • 1Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, 75013 Paris, France.

Developmental Cell
|April 16, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) targets transposable elements (TEs) using RNA interference (RNAi) pathways. This study identifies key protein interactions linking PRC2 and RNAi for epigenetic silencing of TEs.

Keywords:
Polycomb repressive complexRNA interferenceciliateshistone modificationsprogramed DNA eliminationsmall RNAtransposable elements

More Related Videos

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
10:28

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

6.6K
Pooled shRNA Screen for Reactivation of MeCP2 on the Inactive X Chromosome
11:15

Pooled shRNA Screen for Reactivation of MeCP2 on the Inactive X Chromosome

Published on: March 2, 2018

7.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 26, 2025

In Vivo Proximity Biotinylation for Protein Interaction Studies in Paramecium tetraurelia
06:43

In Vivo Proximity Biotinylation for Protein Interaction Studies in Paramecium tetraurelia

Published on: September 12, 2025

210
Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
10:28

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

6.6K
Pooled shRNA Screen for Reactivation of MeCP2 on the Inactive X Chromosome
11:15

Pooled shRNA Screen for Reactivation of MeCP2 on the Inactive X Chromosome

Published on: March 2, 2018

7.4K

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics and Gene Regulation
  • Molecular Biology
  • RNA Interference

Background:

  • Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is crucial for maintaining gene silencing through histone H3K27 trimethylation.
  • PRC2's role in silencing transposable elements (TEs) is established, but the targeting mechanisms remain poorly understood.
  • Understanding TE silencing is vital for genome stability and preventing aberrant gene expression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which PRC2 is targeted to transposable elements (TEs).
  • To identify protein interactors of the Paramecium enhancer-of-zeste Ezl1 enzyme involved in TE silencing.
  • To investigate the interplay between PRC2 and the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway in epigenetic regulation of TEs.

Main Methods:

  • Protein co-immunoprecipitation to identify PRC2 interacting partners.
  • In vivo studies in Paramecium to assess the function of PRC2 subunits and cofactors.
  • Analysis of histone modifications (H3K9me3, H3K27me3) at TEs.
  • Investigating the role of small RNAs in recruiting PRC2 to TEs.

Main Results:

  • The Paramecium PRC2 core complex consists of four essential subunits.
  • The RNA interference (RNAi) effector Ptiwi09 is identified as a key cofactor for targeting PRC2 to TEs.
  • A RING finger protein mediates the physical interaction between PRC2 and the RNAi pathway.
  • Small RNA recruitment of PRC2 to TEs is analogous to the recruitment of H3K9 methylation enzymes.

Conclusions:

  • PRC2 utilizes the RNAi pathway, mediated by Ptiwi09 and a RING finger protein, for targeted epigenetic silencing of TEs.
  • This study reveals a conserved mechanism of small RNA-guided epigenetic control over transposable elements.
  • The findings provide critical insights into the coordination of histone modification and RNAi pathways for genome defense.