The spatial organization of eukaryotic genomes is linked to their functions. However, how individual features of the global spatial structure contribute to nuclear function remains largely unknown. We previously identified a high-frequency interchromosomal interaction within the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome that occurs between the intergenic spacer of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats and the intergenic sequence between the locus encoding the second largest RNA polymerase I subunit and a lysine tRNA gene [i.e., RPA135-tK(CUU)P]. Here, we used quantitative chromosome conformation capture in combination with replacement mapping to identify a 75-bp sequence within the RPA135-tK(CUU)P intergenic region that is involved in the interaction. We demonstrate that the RPA135-IGS1 interaction is dependent on the rDNA copy number and the Msn2 protein. Surprisingly, we found that the interaction does not govern RPA135 transcription. Instead, replacement of a 605-bp region within the RPA135-tK(CUU)P intergenic region results in a reduction in the RPA135-IGS1 interaction level and fluctuations in rDNA copy number. We conclude that the chromosomal interaction that occurs between the RPA135-tK(CUU)P and rDNA IGS1 loci stabilizes rDNA repeat number and contributes to the maintenance of nucleolar stability. Our results provide evidence that the DNA loci involved in chromosomal interactions are composite elements, sections of which function in stabilizing the interaction or mediating a functional outcome.
There are strong links between the spatial organization of a genome and its function (reviewed in references 1 to 3). This spatial organization is dynamic and specific for particular cell types and stages of the cell cycle (4-6). Genome spatial organization has been proposed to result from the physical properties of the chromosomes (e.g., volume and flexibility), the proteins (e.g., DNA binding and aggregation), and the nucleic acids (e.g., ability to form triplexes) that are present within the limited volume of the nucleus (7-10). While global genome structure contributes to cell identity (5) and differentiation and cycling (6), the contributions that individual contacts (i.e., interactions) between chromosomal loci make to genome function remain poorly understood. Here, we characterize a high-frequency interaction between the yeast rRNA genes (rDNA) and a locus encoding an RNA polymerase I subunit, RPA135 (Fig. 1A).In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the rDNA is arranged as 150 to 200 tandem repeats on the long arm of chromosome XII (Chr XII) (11). Each of these tandemly arranged rDNA repeats consists of genes that encode the 35S and 5S rRNAs and two intergenic sequences, IGS1 and IGS2 (Fig. 1A). The rDNA is transcribed by two RNA polymerases: RNA polymerase I (RNAP I), which transcribes the 35S rRNA precursor, and RNAP III, which transcribes the 5S rRNA. Transcription of the rDNA by RNAP I is responsible for the majority of transcription in a cell (reviewed in reference 12).The high rate of transcription and the repetitive structure...