TFIIIC regulates SMC complex binding and 3D DNA contacts between tRNA genes [ChIP-Seq]

Evolutionarily conserved overlap between TFIIIC binding sites and the structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) complexes suggested a role for TFIIIC in SMC regulation and 3D organization of eukaryotic genomes; but the evidence has remained largely correlational due to the essential role of TFIIIC in recruiting RNA Pol III for transcription initiation.

Here, we directly tested the function of TFIIIC in SMC complex regulation by using auxin inducible protein degradation in C. elegans. We performed Hi-C and ChIP-seq analyses upon acute depletion of TFTC-3, an essential TFIIIC subunit, and RPC-1, the catalytic subunit of RNA Pol III. Our results showed that TFIIIC is required for cohesin and condensin complexes binding to tRNA genes.