The genomic stability of the rDNA tandem array is tightly controlled to allow sequence homogenization and to prevent deleterious rearrangements. In this report, we show that the absence of the yeast CTD kinase I (CTDK-I) complex in null mutant strains leads to a decrease in the number of tandem rDNA repeats. Reintroduction of the missing gene induces an increase of rDNA repeats to reach a copy ...

The nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is considered as a paradigm of concerted evolution. Components of the rDNA tandem repeats (45S) are widely used in phylogenetic studies of different organisms and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was recently selected as a fungal DNA bar code. However, rRNA pseudogenes, as one kind of escape from concerted evolution, were reported in a wide range of ...

DNA breakage arises during a variety of biological processes, including transcription, replication and genome rearrangements. In the context of disease, extensive fragmentation of DNA has been described in cancer cells and during early stages of neurodegeneration (Stephens et al., 2011 Stephens et al. (2011) [5]; Blondet et al., 2001 Blondet et al. (2001) [1]). Stults et al. (2009) Stults et al...

Two groups of 5 lambs were euthanized at the weaning (T45) and fattening stages (T90) to evaluate the use of microbial ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences as potential microbial markers in relation to purine bases (PB) as a conventional marker. Both microbial markers originated similar microbial N concentrations (mg/g of DM), although T45 showed decreased values compared with the T90 group when eith...

The rDNA arrays in Drosophila contain the cis-acting nucleolus organizer regions responsible for forming the nucleolus and the genes for the 28S, 18S, and 5.8S/2S RNA components of the ribosomes and so serve a central role in protein synthesis. Mutations or alterations that affect the nucleolus organizer region have pleiotropic effects on genome regulation and development and may play a role in...

Scadoxus multiflorus Martyn, 1795 is an ornamental plant with brilliantly colored flowers. Even though its chromosomes are rather large, there is no karyotype description reported so far. Therefore, conventional and molecular cytogenetic studies including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 45S and 5S rDNA, and human telomere sequence (TTAGGG)n probes (Arabidopsis-type telomere probe...

A 2,700-bp segment of human ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacer upstream of the rRNA promoter contains a set of four Alu elements, two in the direction of rRNA transcription and two in the opposite orientation. We report and compare the sequences of these Alu elements found in three rDNA clones and seek to determine the origin of the cluster, either from a single insertion followed by duplications or f...

The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) tandem array in Saccharomyces cerevisiae induces transcriptional silencing of RNA polymerase II-transcribed genes. This SIR2-dependent form of repression (rDNA silencing) also functions to limit rDNA recombination and is involved in life span control. In this report, we demonstrate that rDNA silencing spreads into the centromere-proximal unique sequence located downstre...

The macronucleus of the protozoan, Tetrahymena, is known to contain multiple rRNA genes which are not linked to the chromosomes. Here we present evidence that the germinal micronucleus of this organism contains a single gene for rRNA integrated into the chromosomal DNA. Unlike the extrachromosomal copies of the macronucleus, which are composed of a pair of reversely repeated sequences (a palind...

RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-transcribed genes embedded within the yeast rDNA locus are repressed through a Sir2-dependent process called 'rDNA silencing'. Sir2 is recruited to the rDNA promoter through interactions with RNA polymerase I (Pol I), and to a pair of DNA replication fork block sites (Ter1 and Ter2) through interaction with Fob1. We utilized a reporter gene (mURA3) integrated adjacent...