Chromosome fusions triggered by noncoding RNA

The mechanisms driving these fusions are poorly understood, but recurrent fusions are widespread. This suggests an underlying mechanism, and some authors have proposed a possible role for RNA in this process.

The unicellular eukaryote Oxytricha trifallax displays an exorbitant capacity for natural genome editing, when it rewrites its germline genome to form a somatic epigenome. This developmental process provides a powerful model system to directly test the influence of small noncoding RNAs on chromosome fusion events during somatic differentiation. Here we show that small RNAs are capable of inducing chromosome fusions in 4 distinct cases (out of 4 tested), including one fusion of 3 chromosomes.