The Xist RNA-PRC2 complex at 20-nm resolution reveals a low Xist stoichiometry and suggests a hit-and-run mechanism in mouse cells.

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is initiated by the long noncoding RNA Xist, which coats the inactive X (Xi) and targets Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) in cis. Epigenomic analyses have provided significant insight into Xist binding patterns and chromatin organization of the Xi. However, such epigenomic analyses are limited by averaging of population-wide dynamics and do not inform behavior of single cells. Here we view Xist RNA and the Xi at 20-nm resolution using STochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) in mouse cells. We observe dynamics at the single-cell level not predicted by epigenomic analysis. Only ∼50 hubs of Xist RNA occur on the Xi in the maintenance phase, corresponding to 50-100 Xist molecules per Xi and contrasting with the chromosome-wide "coat" observed by deep sequencing and conventional microscopy. Likewise, only ∼50 hubs PRC2 are observed. PRC2 and Xist foci are not randomly distributed but showed statistically significant spatial association. Knock-off experiments enable visualization of the dynamics of dissociation and relocalization onto the Xi and support a functional tethering of Xist and PRC2. Our analysis reveals that Xist-PRC2 complexes are less numerous than expected and suggests methylation of nucleosomes in a hit-and-run model.

Super-resolution fluorescence imaging of telomeres reveals TRF2-dependent T-loop formation.

We have applied a super-resolution fluorescence imaging method, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), to visualize the structure of functional telomeres and telomeres rendered dysfunctional through removal of shelterin proteins. The STORM images showed that functional telomeres frequently exhibit a t-loop configuration. Conditional deletion of individual components of shelterin showed that TRF2 was required for the formation and/or maintenance of t-loops, whereas deletion of TRF1, Rap1, or the POT1 proteins (POT1a and POT1b) had no effect on the frequency of t-loop occurrence. Within the shelterin complex, TRF2 uniquely serves to protect telomeres from two pathways that are initiated on free DNA ends: classical nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) and ATM-dependent DNA damage signaling. The TRF2-dependent remodeling of telomeres into t-loop structures, which sequester the ends of chromosomes, can explain why NHEJ and the ATM signaling pathway are repressed when TRF2 is present.

Functional importance of telomerase pseudoknot revealed by single-molecule analysis.

Telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) employs an RNA subunit to template the addition of telomeric repeats onto chromosome ends. Previous studies have suggested that a region of the RNA downstream of the template may be important for telomerase activity and that the region could fold into a pseudoknot. Whether the pseudoknot motif is formed in the active telomerase RNP and what its functional role is have not yet been conclusively established. Using single-molecule FRET, we show that the isolated pseudoknot sequence stably folds into a pseudoknot. However, in the context of the full-length telomerase RNA, interference by other parts of the RNA prevents the formation of the pseudoknot. The protein subunits of the telomerase holoenzyme counteract RNA-induced misfolding and allow a significant fraction of the RNPs to form the pseudoknot structure. Only those RNP complexes containing a properly folded pseudoknot are catalytically active. These results not only demonstrate the functional importance of the pseudoknot but also reveal the critical role played by telomerase proteins in pseudoknot folding.

A single-molecule assay for telomerase structure-function analysis.

The activity of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein enzyme is essential for the maintenance of genome stability and normal cell development. Despite the biomedical importance of telomerase activity, detailed structural models for the enzyme remain to be established. Here we report a single-molecule assay for direct structural analysis of catalytically active telomerase enzymes. In this assay, oligonucleotide hybridization was used to probe the primer-extension activity of individual telomerase enzymes with single nucleotide sensitivity, allowing precise discrimination between inactive, active and processive enzyme binding events. FRET signals from enzyme molecules during the active and processive binding events were then used to determine the global organization of telomerase RNA within catalytically active holoenzymes. Using this assay, we have identified an active conformation of telomerase among a heterogeneous population of enzymes with distinct structures.