Browsing by Subject "Cell Division"
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Item Open Access A noisy linear map underlies oscillations in cell size and gene expression in bacteria.(Nature, 2015-07-16) Tanouchi, Yu; Pai, Anand; Park, Heungwon; Huang, Shuqiang; Stamatov, Rumen; Buchler, Nicolas E; You, LingchongDuring bacterial growth, a cell approximately doubles in size before division, after which it splits into two daughter cells. This process is subjected to the inherent perturbations of cellular noise and thus requires regulation for cell-size homeostasis. The mechanisms underlying the control and dynamics of cell size remain poorly understood owing to the difficulty in sizing individual bacteria over long periods of time in a high-throughput manner. Here we measure and analyse long-term, single-cell growth and division across different Escherichia coli strains and growth conditions. We show that a subset of cells in a population exhibit transient oscillations in cell size with periods that stretch across several (more than ten) generations. Our analysis reveals that a simple law governing cell-size control-a noisy linear map-explains the origins of these cell-size oscillations across all strains. This noisy linear map implements a negative feedback on cell-size control: a cell with a larger initial size tends to divide earlier, whereas one with a smaller initial size tends to divide later. Combining simulations of cell growth and division with experimental data, we demonstrate that this noisy linear map generates transient oscillations, not just in cell size, but also in constitutive gene expression. Our work provides new insights into the dynamics of bacterial cell-size regulation with implications for the physiological processes involved.Item Open Access Age-related changes in the cellular composition and epithelial organization of the mouse trachea.(PloS one, 2014-01) Wansleeben, Carolien; Bowie, Emily; Hotten, Danielle F; Yu, Yen-Rei A; Hogan, Brigid LMWe report here senescent changes in the structure and organization of the mucociliary pseudostratified epithelium of the mouse trachea and main stem bronchi. We confirm previous reports of the gradual appearance of age-related, gland-like structures (ARGLS) in the submucosa, especially in the intercartilage regions and carina. Immunohistochemistry shows these structures contain ciliated and secretory cells and Krt5+ basal cells, but not the myoepithelial cells or ciliated ducts typical of normal submucosal glands. Data suggest they arise de novo by budding from the surface epithelium rather than by delayed growth of rudimentary or cryptic submucosal glands. In old mice the surface epithelium contains fewer cells per unit length than in young mice and the proportion of Krt5+, p63+ basal cells is reduced in both males and females. However, there appears to be no significant difference in the ability of basal stem cells isolated from individual young and old mice to form clonal tracheospheres in culture or in the ability of the epithelium to repair after damage by inhaled sulfur dioxide. Gene expression analysis by Affymetrix microarray and quantitative PCR, as well as immunohistochemistry and flow sorting studies, are consistent with low-grade chronic inflammation in the tracheas of old versus young mice and an increase in the number of immune cells. The significance of these changes for ARGL formation are not clear since several treatments that induce acute inflammation in young mice did not result in budding of the surface epithelium.Item Open Access CCDC62/ERAP75 functions as a coactivator to enhance estrogen receptor beta-mediated transactivation and target gene expression in prostate cancer cells.(Carcinogenesis, 2009-05) Chen, Ming; Ni, Jing; Chang, Hong-Chiang; Lin, Chen-Yong; Muyan, Mesut; Yeh, ShuyuanHuman prostate cancer (PCa) and prostate epithelial cells predominantly express estrogen receptor (ER) beta, but not ERalpha. ERbeta might utilize various ER coregulators to mediate the E2-signaling pathway in PCa. Here, we identified coiled-coil domain containing 62 (CCDC62)/ERAP75 as a novel ER coactivator. CCDC62/ERAP75 is widely expressed in PCa cell lines and has low expression in MCF7 cells. Both in vitro and in vivo interaction assays using mammalian two-hybrid, glutathione S-transferase pull-down and coimmunoprecipitation methods proved that ERbeta can interact with the C-terminus of CCDC62/ERAP75 via the ligand-binding domain. The first LXXLL motif within CCDC62/ERAP75 is required for the interaction between ERbeta and CCDC62/ERAP75. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that CCDC62/ERAP75 can be recruited by the estrogen response element-ER complex in the presence of ligand. Furthermore, a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated the hormone-dependent recruitment of CCDC62/ERAP75 within the promoter of the estrogen-responsive gene cyclin D1. In addition, using silencing RNA (siRNA) against endogeneous CCDC62/ERAP75, we demonstrated that inhibition of endogenous CCDC62/ERAP75 results in the suppression of ERbeta-mediated transactivation as well as target gene expression in LNCaP cells. More importantly, using the tet-on overexpression system, we showed that induced expression of CCDC62/ERAP75 can enhance the E2-regulated cyclin D1 expression and cell growth in LNCaP cells. Together, our results revealed the role of CCDC62/ERAP75 as a novel coactivator in PCa cells that can modulate ERbeta transactivation and receptor function.Item Open Access Cell cycle Start is coupled to entry into the yeast metabolic cycle across diverse strains and growth rates.(Mol Biol Cell, 2016-01-01) Burnetti, Anthony J; Aydin, Mert; Buchler, Nicolas ECells have evolved oscillators with different frequencies to coordinate periodic processes. Here we studied the interaction of two oscillators, the cell division cycle (CDC) and the yeast metabolic cycle (YMC), in budding yeast. Previous work suggested that the CDC and YMC interact to separate high oxygen consumption (HOC) from DNA replication to prevent genetic damage. To test this hypothesis, we grew diverse strains in chemostat and measured DNA replication and oxygen consumption with high temporal resolution at different growth rates. Our data showed that HOC is not strictly separated from DNA replication; rather, cell cycle Start is coupled with the initiation of HOC and catabolism of storage carbohydrates. The logic of this YMC-CDC coupling may be to ensure that DNA replication and cell division occur only when sufficient cellular energy reserves have accumulated. Our results also uncovered a quantitative relationship between CDC period and YMC period across different strains. More generally, our approach shows how studies in genetically diverse strains efficiently identify robust phenotypes and steer the experimentalist away from strain-specific idiosyncrasies.Item Open Access Cell division without FtsZ--a variety of redundant mechanisms.(Molecular microbiology, 2010-10) Erickson, Harold P; Osawa, MasakiUntil 1998 it looked like all bacteria and archaea used a universal cytokinetic machine based on FtsZ. A dozen completely sequenced bacterial genomes all had an ftsZ gene, as did the several sequenced archaeal genomes. Then in 1998-1999 two species of Chlamydia were sequenced and found to have no ftsZ (Stephens et al., 1998; Kalman et al., 1999). Enthusiasts of FtsZ could hold out some hope for its primacy by thinking that these obligate parasites might use some host machinery for division. But the next year the genome of Aeropyrum pernix, a free living thermophilic archeon, was found to be without ftsZ (Kawarabayasi et al., 1999). Additional sequences suggested that the entire kingdom of Crenarchaea managed life and cell division without FtsZ. Among the bacteria the following are now known to have no ftsZ: the phylum Planctomycetes (Pilhofer et al., 2008), which is related to Chlamydiae but is free-living; Calyptogena okutanii (Kuwahara et al., 2007) and Carsonella ruddi (Nakabachi et al., 2006), both intracellular symbionts; Ureaplasma urealiticum (Glass et al., 2000) and Mycoplasma mobile (Jaffe et al., 2004). Since all of these prokaryotes divide, there must be mechanisms for cell division that are not based on FtsZ. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Item Open Access Characterization of the murine BEK fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor: activation by three members of the FGF family and requirement for heparin.(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1992-04-15) Mansukhani, A; Dell'Era, P; Moscatelli, D; Kornbluth, S; Hanafusa, H; Basilico, CThe bek gene encodes a member of the high-affinity fibroblast growth factor receptor family. The BEK/FGFR-2 receptor is a membrane-spanning tyrosine kinase with the typical features of FGF receptors. We have cloned a murine bek cDNA and expressed it in receptor-negative Chinese hamster ovary cells and in 32D myeloid cells. The BEK receptor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells binds acidic FGF, basic FGF, and Kaposi FGF equally well but does not bind keratinocyte growth factor or FGF-5 appreciably. Upon treatment with basic FGF or Kaposi FGF, the BEK receptor is phosphorylated and a mitogenic response is achieved. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans have been shown to play an obligate role in basic FGF binding to the high-affinity FLG receptor. Unlike the BEK-expressing Chinese hamster ovary cells, 32D cells expressing the BEK receptor require the addition of exogenous heparin in order to grow in the presence of basic FGF or Kaposi FGF. We show that the addition of heparin greatly enhances the binding of radio-labeled basic FGF to the receptor. Thus the BEK receptor, like FLG, also requires an interaction with heparan sulfate proteoglycans to facilitate binding to its ligands.Item Open Access Classification and genetic characterization of pattern-forming Bacilli.(Mol Microbiol, 1998-02) Rudner, R; Martsinkevich, O; Leung, W; Jarvis, EDOne of the more natural but less commonly studied forms of colonial bacterial growth is pattern formation. This type of growth is characterized by bacterial populations behaving in an organized manner to generate readily identifiable geometric and predictable morphologies on solid and semi-solid surfaces. In our first attempt to study the molecular basis of pattern formation in Bacillus subtilis, we stumbled upon an enigma: some strains used to describe pattern formation in B. subtilis did not have the phenotypic or genotypic characteristics of B. subtilis. In this report, we show that these strains are actually not B. subtilis, but belong to a different class of Bacilli, group I. We show further that commonly used laboratory strains of B. subtilis can co-exist as mixed cultures with group I Bacilli, and that the latter go unnoticed when grown on frequently used laboratory substrates. However, when B. subtilis is grown under more stringent semiarid conditions, members of group I emerge in the form of complex patterns. When B. subtilis is grown under less stringent and more motile conditions, B. subtilis forms its own pattern, and members of group I remain unnoticed. These findings have led us to revise some of the mechanistic and evolutionary hypotheses that have been proposed to explain pattern growth in Bacilli.Item Open Access Discrimination of vanadium from zinc using gene profiling in human bronchial epithelial cells.(Environmental health perspectives, 2005-12) Li, Zhuowei; Stonehuerner, Jackie; Devlin, Robert B; Huang, Yuh-Chin TWe hypothesized that gene expression profiling may discriminate vanadium from zinc in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). RNA from HBECs exposed to vehicle, V (50 microM), or Zn (50 microM) for 4 hr (n = 4 paired experiments) was hybridized to Affymetrix Hu133A chips. Using one-class t-test with p < 0.01, we identified 140 and 76 genes with treatment:control ratios > or = 2.0 or < or = 0.5 for V and Zn, respectively. We then categorized these genes into functional pathways and compared the number of genes in each pathway between V and Zn using Fisher's exact test. Three pathways regulating gene transcription, inflammatory response, and cell proliferation distinguished V from Zn. When genes in these three pathways were matched with the 163 genes flagged by the same statistical filtration for V:Zn ratios, 12 genes were identified. The hierarchical clustering analysis showed that these 12 genes discriminated V from Zn and consisted of two clusters. Cluster 1 genes (ZBTB1, PML, ZNF44, SIX1, BCL6, ZNF450) were down-regulated by V and involved in gene transcription, whereas cluster 2 genes (IL8, IL1A, PTGS2, DTR, TNFAIP3, CXCL3) were up-regulated and linked to inflammatory response and cell proliferation. Also, metallothionein 1 genes (MT1F, MT1G, MT1K) were up-regulated by Zn only. Thus, using microarray analysis, we identified a small set of genes that may be used as biomarkers for discriminating V from Zn. The novel genes and pathways identified by the microarray may help us understand the pathogenesis of health effects caused by environmental V and Zn exposure.Item Open Access FtsZ at mid-cell is essential in Escherichia coli until the late stage of constriction.(Microbiology (Reading, England), 2022-06) Corbin Goodman, Lauren C; Erickson, Harold PThere has been recent debate as to the source of constriction force during cell division. FtsZ can generate a constriction force on tubular membranes in vitro, suggesting it may generate the constriction force in vivo. However, another study showed that mutants of FtsZ did not affect the rate of constriction, whereas mutants of the PG assembly did, suggesting that PG assembly may push the constriction from the outside. Supporting this model, two groups found that cells that have initiated constriction can complete septation while the Z ring is poisoned with the FtsZ targeting antibiotic PC190723. PC19 arrests treadmilling but leaves FtsZ in place. We sought to determine if a fully assembled Z ring is necessary during constriction. To do this, we used a temperature-sensitive FtsZ mutant, FtsZ84. FtsZ84 supports cell division at 30 °C, but it disassembles from the Z ring within 1 min upon a temperature jump to 42 °C. Following the temperature jump we found that cells in early constriction stop constricting. Cells that had progressed to the later stage of division finished constriction without a Z ring. These results show that in Escherichia coli, an assembled Z ring is essential for constriction except in the final stage, contradicting the simplest interpretation of previous studies using PC19.Item Open Access G-protein-coupled receptor genes as protooncogenes: constitutively activating mutation of the alpha 1B-adrenergic receptor enhances mitogenesis and tumorigenicity.(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1991-12-15) Allen, LF; Lefkowitz, RJ; Caron, MG; Cotecchia, SThe alpha 1B-adrenergic receptor (alpha 1B-ADR) is a member of the G-protein-coupled family of transmembrane receptors. When transfected into Rat-1 and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, this receptor induces focus formation in an agonist-dependent manner. Focus-derived, transformed fibroblasts exhibit high levels of functional alpha 1B-ADR expression, demonstrate a catecholamine-induced enhancement in the rate of cellular proliferation, and are tumorigenic when injected into nude mice. Induction of neoplastic transformation by the alpha 1B-ADR, therefore, identifies this normal cellular gene as a protooncogene. Mutational alteration of this receptor can lead to activation of this protooncogene, resulting in an enhanced ability of agonist to induce focus formation with a decreased latency and quantitative increase in transformed foci. In contrast to cells expressing the wild-type alpha 1B-ADR, focus formation in "oncomutant"-expressing cell lines appears constitutively activated with the generation of foci in unstimulated cells. Further, these cell lines exhibit near-maximal rates of proliferation even in the absence of catecholamine supplementation. They also demonstrate an enhanced ability for tumor generation in nude mice with a decreased period of latency compared with cells expressing the wild-type receptor. Thus, the alpha 1B-ADR gene can, when overexpressed and activated, function as an oncogene inducing neoplastic transformation. Mutational alteration of this receptor gene can result in the activation of this protooncogene, enhancing its oncogenic potential. These findings suggest that analogous spontaneously occurring mutations in this class of receptor proteins could play a key role in the induction or progression of neoplastic transformation and atherosclerosis.Item Open Access Genotypic analysis of B cell colonies by in situ hybridization. Stoichiometric expression of three VH families in adult C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.(J Exp Med, 1987-07-01) Schulze, DH; Kelsoe, GThe filter paper disc method for cloning inducible lymphocytes was used to census the splenic B cell population of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice for the expression of three VH gene-families, VH X-24, -Q52, and -J558. B cell colonies, arising from single founder lymphocytes, were identified by in situ hybridization with VH family- and C mu-specific cDNA probes. Some 6.7 X 10(4) C mu+ colonies were screened. Among C57BL/6- or BALB/c-derived colonies, approximately 3% were VH X-24+, approximately 19% were VH Q52+, and approximately 54% were VH J558+. These frequencies are consistent with a process of equiprobable expression for individual VH segments, and provide direct evidence that normal splenic B lymphocytes use a process of random genetic combinatorics to generate the antibody repertoire.Item Open Access How cells determine the number of polarity sites.(eLife, 2021-04-26) Chiou, Jian-Geng; Moran, Kyle D; Lew, Daniel JThe diversity of cell morphologies arises, in part, through regulation of cell polarity by Rho-family GTPases. A poorly understood but fundamental question concerns the regulatory mechanisms by which different cells generate different numbers of polarity sites. Mass-conserved activator-substrate (MCAS) models that describe polarity circuits develop multiple initial polarity sites, but then those sites engage in competition, leaving a single winner. Theoretical analyses predicted that competition would slow dramatically as GTPase concentrations at different polarity sites increase toward a 'saturation point', allowing polarity sites to coexist. Here, we test this prediction using budding yeast cells, and confirm that increasing the amount of key polarity proteins results in multiple polarity sites and simultaneous budding. Further, we elucidate a novel design principle whereby cells can switch from competition to equalization among polarity sites. These findings provide insight into how cells with diverse morphologies may determine the number of polarity sites.Item Open Access In situ studies of the primary immune response to (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl. I. The architecture and dynamics of responding cell populations.(J Exp Med, 1991-05-01) Jacob, J; Kassir, R; Kelsoe, GAfter primary immunization with an immunogenic conjugate of (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl, two anatomically and phenotypically distinct populations of antibody-forming cells arise in the spleen. As early as 2 d after immunization, foci of antigen-binding B cells are observed along the periphery of the periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths. These foci expand, occupying as much as 1% of the splenic volume by day 8 of the response. Later, foci grow smaller and are virtually absent from the spleen by day 14. A second responding population, germinal center B cells, appear on day 8-10 and persist at least until day 16 post-immunization. Individual foci and germinal centers represent discrete pauciclonal populations that apparently undergo somatic evolution in the course of the primary response. We suggest that foci may represent regions of predominantly interclonal competition for antigen among unmutated B cells, while germinal centers are sites of intraclonal clonal competition between mutated sister lymphocytes.Item Open Access Regulated spindle orientation buffers tissue growth in the epidermis.(eLife, 2019-10) Morrow, Angel; Underwood, Julie; Seldin, Lindsey; Hinnant, Taylor; Lechler, TerryTissue homeostasis requires a balance between progenitor cell proliferation and loss. Mechanisms that maintain this robust balance are needed to avoid tissue loss or overgrowth. Here we demonstrate that regulation of spindle orientation/asymmetric cell divisions is one mechanism that is used to buffer changes in proliferation and tissue turnover in mammalian skin. Genetic and pharmacologic experiments demonstrate that asymmetric cell divisions were increased in hyperproliferative conditions and decreased under hypoproliferative conditions. Further, active K-Ras also increased the frequency of asymmetric cell divisions. Disruption of spindle orientation in combination with constitutively active K-Ras resulted in massive tissue overgrowth. Together, these data highlight the essential roles of spindle orientation in buffering tissue homeostasis in response to perturbations.Item Open Access Targeting Gbeta gamma signaling in arterial vascular smooth muscle proliferation: a novel strategy to limit restenosis.(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1999-03-30) Iaccarino, G; Smithwick, LA; Lefkowitz, RJ; Koch, WJRestenosis continues to be a major problem limiting the effectiveness of revascularization procedures. To date, the roles of heterotrimeric G proteins in the triggering of pathological vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cell proliferation have not been elucidated. betagamma subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins (Gbetagamma) are known to activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases after stimulation of certain G protein-coupled receptors; however, their relevance in VSM mitogenesis in vitro or in vivo is not known. Using adenoviral-mediated transfer of a transgene encoding a peptide inhibitor of Gbetagamma signaling (betaARKct), we evaluated the role of Gbetagamma in MAP kinase activation and proliferation in response to several mitogens, including serum, in cultured rat VSM cells. Our results include the striking finding that serum-induced proliferation of VSM cells in vitro is mediated largely via Gbetagamma. Furthermore, we studied the effects of in vivo adenoviral-mediated betaARKct gene transfer on VSM intimal hyperplasia in a rat carotid artery restenosis model. Our in vivo results demonstrated that the presence of the betaARKct in injured rat carotid arteries significantly reduced VSM intimal hyperplasia by 70%. Thus, Gbetagamma plays a critical role in physiological VSM proliferation, and targeted Gbetagamma inhibition represents a novel approach for the treatment of pathological conditions such as restenosis.Item Open Access The C-terminal linker of Escherichia coli FtsZ functions as an intrinsically disordered peptide.(Molecular microbiology, 2013-07) Gardner, Kiani AJ Arkus; Moore, Desmond A; Erickson, Harold PThe tubulin homologue FtsZ provides the cytoskeletal framework and constriction force for bacterial cell division. FtsZ has an 50-amino-acid (aa) linker between the protofilament-forming globular domain and the C-terminal (Ct) peptide that binds FtsA and ZipA, tethering FtsZ to the membrane. This Ct-linker is widely divergent across bacterial species and thought to be an intrinsically disordered peptide (IDP). We confirmed that the Ct-linkers from three bacterial species behaved as IDPs in vitro by circular dichroism and trypsin proteolysis. We made chimeras, swapping the Escherichia coli linker for Ct-linkers from other bacteria, and even for an unrelated IDP from human α-adducin. Most substitutions allowed for normal cell division, suggesting that sequence of the IDP did not matter. With few exceptions, almost any sequence appears to work. Length, however, was important: IDPs shorter than 43 or longer than 95 aa had compromised or no function. We conclude that the Ct-linker functions as a flexible tether between the globular domain of FtsZ in the protofilament, and its attachment to FtsA/ZipA at the membrane. Modelling the Ct-linker as a worm-like chain, we predict that it functions as a stiff entropic spring linking the bending protofilaments to the membrane.Item Open Access The exon junction complex component Magoh controls brain size by regulating neural stem cell division.(Nat Neurosci, 2010-05) Silver, Debra L; Watkins-Chow, Dawn E; Schreck, Karisa C; Pierfelice, Tarran J; Larson, Denise M; Burnetti, Anthony J; Liaw, Hung-Jiun; Myung, Kyungjae; Walsh, Christopher A; Gaiano, Nicholas; Pavan, William JBrain structure and size require precise division of neural stem cells (NSCs), which self-renew and generate intermediate neural progenitors (INPs) and neurons. The factors that regulate NSCs remain poorly understood, and mechanistic explanations of how aberrant NSC division causes the reduced brain size seen in microcephaly are lacking. Here we show that Magoh, a component of the exon junction complex (EJC) that binds RNA, controls mouse cerebral cortical size by regulating NSC division. Magoh haploinsufficiency causes microcephaly because of INP depletion and neuronal apoptosis. Defective mitosis underlies these phenotypes, as depletion of EJC components disrupts mitotic spindle orientation and integrity, chromosome number and genomic stability. In utero rescue experiments showed that a key function of Magoh is to control levels of the microcephaly-associated protein Lis1 during neurogenesis. Our results uncover requirements for the EJC in brain development, NSC maintenance and mitosis, thereby implicating this complex in the pathogenesis of microcephaly.Item Open Access Transfer of human chromosomes via human minisegregant cells into mouse cells and the quantitation of the expression of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase in the hybrids.(J Cell Sci, 1978-04) Tourian, A; Johnson, RT; Burg, K; Nicolson, SW; Sperling, KThe behaviour of human cells arrested in mitosis can be severely perturbed so as to generate numerous small minisegregants containing very few chromosomes. These cells can be separated according to size and DNA content and fused with intact cells. In this paper we describe the production and some properties of proliferating cell hybrids generated by fusion of human minisegregant cells derived from a HeLa strain with mouse A9 cells deficient in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT, EC 2.4.2.8). The hybrids were shown to contain up to 10 human chromosomes including a single X. Independently derived hybrid clones were quantitatively characterized and compared with the parental phenotypes with respect to HPRT. Human isozymes of each of the 3 enzymes HPRT, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) and phosphoglycerate kinase (EC 2,7.2.3) were found. Tests to evaluate both structure and function of HPRT were utilized. The specific activity of HPRT of more than 10 hybrids tested was approximately 10% that of the HeLa parent. Structural characterization of HPRT from hybrid cells as evidenced by heat inactivation and electrophoretic mobility results in a 'human-like' phenotype. Functional characterization of parental HPRT results in kinetic constants for cofactor and substrate which do not permit distinction of human and of human and mouse enzymes; HPRT from the minisegregant hybrids had normal kinetic constants. The reduced specific activity of HPRT in the hybrids is discussed in terms of the inability of the mouse environment to regulate the full expression of the human structural gene.Item Open Access Uncoupling of genomic and epigenetic signals in the maintenance and inheritance of heterochromatin domains in fission yeast.(Genetics, 2012-02) Wheeler, Bayly S; Ruderman, Brandon T; Willard, Huntington F; Scott, Kristin CMany essential aspects of genome function, including gene expression and chromosome segregation, are mediated throughout development and differentiation by changes in the chromatin state. Along with genomic signals encoded in the DNA, epigenetic processes regulate heritable gene expression patterns. Genomic signals such as enhancers, silencers, and repetitive DNA, while required for the establishment of alternative chromatin states, have an unclear role in epigenetic processes that underlie the persistence of chromatin states throughout development. Here, we demonstrate in fission yeast that the maintenance and inheritance of ectopic heterochromatin domains are independent of the genomic sequences necessary for their de novo establishment. We find that both structural heterochromatin and gene silencing can be stably maintained over an ~10-kb domain for up to hundreds of cell divisions in the absence of genomic sequences required for heterochromatin establishment, demonstrating the long-term persistence and stability of this chromatin state. The de novo heterochromatin, despite the absence of nucleation sequences, is also stably inherited through meiosis. Together, these studies provide evidence for chromatin-dependent, epigenetic control of gene silencing that is heritable, stable, and self-sustaining, even in the absence of the originating genomic signals.