Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Silencing of BRCA2 to Identify Novel BRCA2-regulated Biological Functions in Cultured Human Cells
Published on: August 12, 2015
ARS2, a Cofactor of CBC, Promotes Meiotic Silencing by Unpaired DNA
Michael M Vierling1, Victor T Sy1, Logan M Decker1
1Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Abstract:
The presence of an extra DNA segment in a genome could indicate a transposon or another repetitive element on the move. In Neurospora crassa, a surveillance mechanism called meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) is maintained to monitor these selfish elements. MSUD utilizes common RNA interference (RNAi) factors, including the SMS-2 Argonaute, to target mRNAs from genes lacking a pairing partner during meiosis. In eukaryotes, an mRNA transcript is typically bound at the 5' cap by the cap-binding complex (CBC), which assists in its nuclear export. Previously, we discovered that CBC and its interactor NCBP3 mediate MSUD, possibly by guiding the perinuclear SMS-2 to effectively recognize exported mRNAs. Here, we report that ARS2, a CBC cofactor, is involved in MSUD. ARS2 interacts with both CBC and NCBP3, and it may help bring them together. In addition to its role in silencing, ARS2 also contributes to vegetative growth and sexual sporulation.
Related Concept Videos
Meiosis II
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
Experimental RNAi
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle
S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of...

