| 2015 |
TASOR is a core subunit of the HUSH (human silencing hub) complex, together with MPP8 and Periphilin. Loss of HUSH components, including TASOR, results in decreased H3K9me3 at endogenous genomic loci and at retroviruses integrated into heterochromatin. The HUSH complex is recruited to H3K9me3-rich genomic loci, where it recruits the methyltransferase SETDB1 for further H3K9me3 deposition to maintain transcriptional silencing. |
Forward genetic screen in near-haploid KBM7 cells, loss-of-function analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation |
Science |
High |
26022416
|
| 2017 |
TASOR (as part of the HUSH complex) selectively binds evolutionarily young, full-length L1 elements located in transcriptionally permissive euchromatic environments and promotes H3K9me3 deposition for transcriptional silencing. HUSH-mediated silencing events within introns of transcriptionally active genes lead to downregulation of host gene expression in a HUSH- and L1-dependent manner. |
CRISPR-Cas9 genome-wide screen, ChIP-seq, loss-of-function in two distinct human cell lines |
Nature |
High |
29211708
|
| 2018 |
HIV-2/SIV Vpx protein associates with the HUSH complex and induces proteasomal degradation of TASOR (and other HUSH subunits) through recruitment of the DCAF1-CUL4A/B E3 ubiquitin ligase, independently of SAMHD1 antagonism. This degradation reactivates HIV latent proviruses and increases LINE-1 ORF1p levels. |
Proteomic screen, co-immunoprecipitation, proteasome inhibitor rescue, knockdown rescue experiments, HIV latency reactivation assay |
Nature microbiology |
High |
29891865 30297740
|
| 2018 |
NP220 recruits the HUSH complex (including TASOR) along with SETDB1 and histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC4 to silence unintegrated retroviral DNA; TASOR/HUSH is required for this silencing as shown by CRISPR knockout de-repression. |
Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen, chromatin immunoprecipitation, knockout validation |
Nature |
High |
30487602
|
| 2020 |
TASOR is the central scaffolding subunit of the HUSH complex; it bears a catalytically-inactive (pseudo-)PARP domain that is necessary for targeted H3K9me3 deposition and transgene repression, independently of overall complex assembly. TASOR associates with RNA processing components. The modular architecture of HUSH resembles the yeast RNA-induced transcriptional silencing (RITS) complex. |
Biochemical reconstitution, structure-function mutagenesis of TASOR domains, H3K9me3 ChIP-seq, transgene repression reporter assay, co-immunoprecipitation |
Nature communications |
High |
33009411
|
| 2020 |
A crystal structure of the Periphilin-TASOR minimal core complex shows that Periphilin forms an α-helical homodimer bound by a single TASOR molecule. Residues required for TASOR binding and Periphilin aggregation are required for HUSH-dependent silencing and genome-wide H3K9me3 deposition. |
X-ray crystallography, mutagenesis, H3K9me3 ChIP, silencing reporter assay |
Nucleic acids research |
High |
32976585
|
| 2021 |
The N-terminal PARP-like domain of TASOR is involved in DCAF1 binding (but not in Vpx binding). TASOR can interact with DCAF1 in the absence of Vpx, and this interaction is stabilized by Vpx to form a ternary TASOR-Vpx-DCAF1 complex that leads to TASOR ubiquitination and degradation. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, Vpx point mutant analysis, domain mapping, functional HIV reporter assay |
PLoS pathogens |
Medium |
34699574
|
| 2022 |
TASOR interacts with the CCR4-NOT complex scaffold CNOT1 (identified by yeast two-hybrid screen), and TASOR and CNOT1 synergistically repress HIV LTR-driven expression. TASOR also interacts with the RNA exosome and with RNA Polymerase II predominantly in its elongating state, and facilitates the association of RNA degradation proteins with RNA Pol II at transcriptional centers. |
Yeast two-hybrid screen, co-immunoprecipitation, HIV LTR reporter assay, RNA Pol II co-IP, immunofluorescence at transcriptional centers |
Nature communications |
Medium |
35013187
|
| 2022 |
TASOR is phosphorylated at T819 by a Cyclin/CDK1 complex, especially in cells arrested in early mitosis. However, this phosphorylation does not correlate with TASOR-mediated HIV-1 silencing, as T819A and T819E TASOR mutants repress HIV-1 LTR-driven expression similarly to wild-type TASOR. |
Phospho-specific antibody, nocodazole/etoposide cell cycle arrest, CDK1 inhibitor, TASOR point mutant overexpression in HIV-1 latency model |
Retrovirology |
Medium |
36309692
|
| 2023 |
TASOR's DUF3715 domain adopts a pseudo-PARP (RDTS) structure with extensive structural homology to TEX15's DUF3715 domain. The DUF3715 domain from divergent TEX15 sequences can functionally substitute the DUF3715 domain of TASOR and mediate transposon silencing, establishing a conserved functional role for this domain in RNA-directed transposon silencing. |
Structural homology analysis, functional domain-swap experiments, transposon silencing reporter assay |
RNA |
Medium |
37433650
|
| 2023 |
The HUSH complex (including TASOR) interacts with the transcription termination factor WDR82 and accumulates at sites of high RNAPII occupancy including long exons and transcription termination sites in a WDR82- and CPSF-dependent manner, demonstrating co-transcriptional chromatin targeting for genome surveillance. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, ChIP-seq, genetic epistasis with WDR82/CPSF knockouts, genomic rearrangement at Sox2 locus |
Molecular cell |
High |
37164018
|
| 2023 |
HUSH complex (MPP8 and TASOR subunits) interacts with the leading-strand DNA polymerase Pol ε and contributes to asymmetric H3K9me3 distribution at replication forks (preferentially onto leading strands at LINE-1 elements). TASOR mutants with reduced Pol ε interaction show compromised H3K9me3 asymmetry and increased LINE expression. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, H3K9me3 strand-specific ChIP, TASOR interaction mutants, POLE3/POLE4 and MPP8/TASOR knockouts |
Nature |
High |
37938774
|
| 2024 |
AlphaFold3 modeling of the MPP8-TASOR complex predicts that a SPOC domain and a domain with a novel fold in TASOR form extended interaction interfaces with the MPP8 C-terminal domain (ankyrin repeats + PINIT-like domain). Point mutations at these predicted interfaces resulted in loss of HUSH-dependent transcriptional repression, validating the structural model. |
X-ray crystallography (MPP8 CTD), AlphaFold3 structural modeling, point mutagenesis, cell-based transcriptional repression reporter assay |
Journal of molecular biology |
Medium |
39638237
|
| 2024 |
TASOR loss in naive pluripotent stem cells triggers replication stress, disrupts H3K9me3 heterochromatin, and impairs silencing of LINE-1 transposable elements. Unscheduled L1 expression upon TASOR loss activates an innate immune response (MAVS pathway) leading to cell death specifically in cells exiting naive pluripotency; this is rescued by caspase inhibition or MAVS deletion. |
CRISPR knockout, H3K9me3 ChIP, LINE-1 expression analysis, caspase inhibitor treatment, MAVS genetic deletion, pluripotency transition assay |
Cell reports |
Medium |
39453814
|
| 2024 |
HuSH (HUSH) complex centered on TASOR and a second paralogous HuSH2 complex centered on TASOR2 localize to distinct, non-overlapping genomic loci; HUSH/TASOR represses LINE-1 retrotransposons. MPP8 interaction with TASOR is disrupted by specific amino acid substitutions guided by in silico structural predictions, and the relative quantities of HuSH complexes regulate LINE-1 activity. |
ChIP-seq, in silico protein structure prediction, mutagenesis of MPP8-TASOR interface, LINE-1 reporter assay, CRISPR knockout |
Nature communications |
Medium |
39489739
|
| 2025 |
Vpx-mediated degradation of TASOR leads to increased LINE-1 activity, which in turn activates innate immune sensing; ISG induction by Vpx-mediated TASOR degradation relies on both RNA sensing (MAVS signaling) and DNA sensing (cGAS/STING signaling). |
Vpx mutant analysis, transcriptomic analysis, TASOR degradation experiments, MAVS and cGAS/STING pathway inhibition |
Journal of molecular biology |
Medium |
42190982
|
| 2025 |
Periphilin is the major RNA-binding component of the HUSH complex; its N-terminal domain is essential for both RNA binding and HUSH function. Artificial tethering of Periphilin to a HUSH-insensitive nascent transcript enables HUSH-dependent silencing of that transcript, establishing that Periphilin's RNA binding initiates HUSH silencing. Periphilin's RNA binding is independent of its interaction with TASOR or MPP8. |
Unbiased RNA-binding assay, domain truncation analysis, tethering reporter assay, mutagenesis of Periphilin NTD |
Nucleic acids research |
Medium |
39658355
|
| 2025 |
In mouse embryonic stem cells, deficiency of both MPP8 and TASOR (double mutant) locks cells in pluripotent state even upon differentiation stimuli, and decreases expression of adhesion-related genes (keratins 18 and 19); ectopic co-expression of keratins 18 and 19 rescues the exit-from-pluripotency defect. |
CRISPR-based knockout, pluripotency exit assay, gene expression analysis, ectopic expression rescue |
Communications biology |
Medium |
41291012
|
| 2024 |
PRC1.6 components L3MBTL2 and MGA contribute to HUSH complex-mediated provirus silencing in a promoter-specific manner. PRC1.6 and HUSH complexes co-localize on chromatin primarily at active promoters, and PRC1.6 binding at a subset of HUSH-silenced genes is dependent on core HUSH component MPP8. |
Proximity labeling (C-BERST/dCas9-APEX2), forward genetic screen, ChIP-seq co-localization, MPP8-dependent PRC1.6 binding analysis |
bioRxivpreprint |
Medium |
39026796
|