HMR-I is an origin of replication and a silencer in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

There appear to be fundamental differences between the properties of the silencers at HML and HMR, with some being origins of replication and others not. Moreover, past studies have suggested that HMR-I's role in silencing may be restricted to plasmid contexts. This study established that HMR-I, like HMR-E and unlike either HML silencer, is an origin of replication. Moreover, both HMR-E and HMR-I contribute to silencing of a chromosomal HMR locus. In addition, we found that Abf1p plays no unique role in silencer function.