Abstract

Accurate chromosome segregation and ribosomal gene expression silencing are essential for maintaining genome integrity, and disruptions in these processes are key for oncogenesis and cancer progression. Here, we demonstrate a novel role for the transcriptional co-repressor SKI in regulating rDNA and pericentromeric heterochromatin (PCH) silencing in human cells. We found that SKI localizes to the rDNA promoter on acrocentric chromosomes and is crucial for maintaining H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and repressing 45S rRNA gene expression. SKI is also associated with BSR and HSATII satellites within PCH, where is necessary for H3K9 methylation and recruitment of SUV39H1 and HP1 alpha, key players for heterochromatin silencing and centromere function. Consequently, SKI deficiency disrupted centromere integrity and resulted in aberrant chromosome segregation, micronuclei formation, and chromosome instability. The identification of SKI as a key participant in the epigenetic-mediated silencing of pericentromeric and ribosomal DNA provides a fundamental insight, paving the way for new research into the intricate relationship between transcriptional regulation and genome instability during cancer progression, and opening novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention.