However, recent evidence suggests that specific heterochromatic loci are actively transcribed. This concept is particularly important for small silencing pathways, as transcription within heterochromatin provides important precursor transcripts for small regulatory RNAs, such as piRNAs, in the animal germline. Lisa Baumgartner, a PhD student in our group, has been investigating how cells define specific loci within heterochromatin for transcription. Her work is summarised in two related publications, in which Lisa identifies a DNA-binding zinc finger protein as an essential factor in the specificity of piRNA clusters in the Drosophila ovary, and uses genetics, molecular biology and structural modelling to reveal the molecular principles behind this process.


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