RNA-directed DNA methylation involves co-transcriptional small RNA-guided slicing of Pol V transcripts in Arabidopsis

Small RNAs regulate chromatin modifications such as DNA methylation and gene silencing across eukaryotic genomes. In plants, RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) requires 24-nucleotide (nt) small RNAs (siRNAs) that bind ARGONAUTE4 (AGO4) and target genomic regions for silencing. It also requires non-coding RNAs transcribed by RNA POLYMERASE V (Pol V) that likely serve as scaffolds for binding of AGO4/siRNA complexes. Here we utilized a modified global nuclear run-on (GRO) protocol followed by deep sequencing to capture Pol V nascent transcripts genome-wide. We uncovered unique characteristics of Pol V RNAs, including a uracil (U) common at position 10. This uracil was complementary to the 5′ adenine found in many AGO4-bound 24-nt siRNAs and was eliminated in a siRNA-deficient mutant as well as in the ago4/6/9 triple mutant, suggesting that the +10U signature is due to siRNA-mediated co-transcriptional slicing of Pol V transcripts. Expressing wild-type AGO4 in ago4/6/9 was able to restore slicing of Pol V transcripts but a catalytically inactive AGO4 mutant did not correct the slicing defect. We also found that Pol V transcript slicing required the little understood elongation factor SPT5L. These results highlight the importance of Pol V transcript slicing in RNA-mediated transcriptional gene silencing, which is a conserved process in many eukaryotes.