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The dual role of autonomously replicating sequences as origins of replication and as silencers

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Abstract

Autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively characterized as both origins of DNA replication and as chromatin repressors/silencers. It has been conclusively shown that the origin and the silencer activities of ARS are substantially, but not entirely interchangeable and that they are modulated by position effects and chromatin environment. It remains unclear how these two quite divergent functions of ARS co-exist. This perspective focuses on recent advances, which have shown that slight differences in ARSs can modulate their affinity for origin recognition complex and their activity as silencers or origins.

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Abbreviations

ARS:

Autonomously replicating sequence

ACS:

ARS consensus sequence

SIR:

Silent information regulator

ORC:

Origin recognition complex

MCM:

Mini-chromosome maintenance

pre-RC:

pre-replicative complex

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Acknowledgments

M.A.R. and K.Y. are supported by a grant from NSERC, Canada.

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  1. Muhammad Attiq Rehman

    Present address: Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Muhammad Attiq Rehman & Krassimir Yankulov

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  1. Muhammad Attiq Rehman
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  2. Krassimir Yankulov
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Correspondence to Krassimir Yankulov.

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Communicated by M. Kupiec.

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Rehman, M.A., Yankulov, K. The dual role of autonomously replicating sequences as origins of replication and as silencers. Curr Genet 55, 357–363 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-009-0265-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-009-0265-7

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