Fig. 2.

A model for meiotic silencing (MSUD) in N. crassa. During the first meiotic prophase, an unpaired DNA triggers the transcription of aberrant RNAs from an unpaired DNA region, and the RdRP SAD-1converts aberrant RNA into dsRNAs, which are processed by DCL-1 into small RNAs, and small RNAs are then loaded onto a RISC complex with the Argonaute SMS-2 as the core component. The activation of the SMS-2 complex results in the silencing of homologous RNA. SAD-2 may function in the pathway by recruiting SAD-1 to its proper location to perform its activity