hpo — Neurospora crassa

Summary

NCU04017 (hpo, also known as NcSWI6) on Neurospora crassa chromosome 6 encodes HP1, a heterochromatin protein with a chromo domain and chromo shadow domain that has histone H3K9me2/3 reader activity and chromatin adaptor activity, and binds chromatin, DNA, RNA, and identical proteins. The gene is associated with diverse chromatin-related processes including centromeric silencing, telomeric silencing, rDNA heterochromatin assembly, heterochromatin boundary formation, RNAi-mediated heterochromatin assembly at centromeres, siRNA-mediated silent mating-type cassette region heterochromatin formation, mating-type switching, donor selection, gene conversion at the mating-type locus, mitotic sister chromatid biorientation, anaphase cohesion protection, and centromeric mitotic sister chromatin cohesion. The HP1 protein localizes to heterochromatin islands, subtelomeric heterochromatin, centric heterochromatin, the mating-type region heterochromatin, and condensed chromosome centric regions. Related genes in other species are linked to turgor pressure and oxidative stress response.