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Germline-expressed endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs) transmit multigenerational epigenetic information to ensure fertility in subsequent generations. In Caenorhabditis elegans, nuclear RNAi ensures robust inheritance of endo-siRNAs and deposition of repressive H3K9me3 marks at target loci. How target silencing is maintained in subsequent generations is poorly understood. We discovered that morc-1 is essential for transgenerational fertility and acts as an effector of endo-siRNAs. Unexpectedly, morc-1 is dispensable for siRNA inheritance but is required for target silencing and maintenance of siRNA-dependent chromatin organization. A forward genetic screen identified mutations in met-1, which encodes an H3K36 methyltransferase, as potent suppressors of morc-1(-) and nuclear RNAi mutant phenotypes. Further analysis of nuclear RNAi and morc-1(-) mutants revealed a progressive, met-1-dependent enrichment of H3K36me3, suggesting that robust fertility requires repression of MET-1 activity at nuclear RNAi targets. Without MORC-1 and nuclear RNAi, MET-1-mediated encroachment of euchromatin leads to detrimental decondensation of germline chromatin and germline mortality., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential, conserved roles in diverse developmental processes through association with the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). Whereas fundamental insights into the mechanistic framework of miRNA biogenesis and target gene silencing have been established, posttranslational modifications that affect miRISC function are less well understood. Here we report that the conserved serine/threonine kinase, casein kinase II (CK2), promotes miRISC function in Caenorhabditis elegans. CK2 inactivation results in developmental defects that phenocopy loss of miRISC cofactors and enhances the loss of miRNA function in diverse cellular contexts. Whereas CK2 is dispensable for miRNA biogenesis and the stability of miRISC cofactors, it is required for efficient miRISC target mRNA binding and silencing. Importantly, we identify the conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase, CGH-1/DDX6, as a key CK2 substrate within miRISC and demonstrate phosphorylation of a conserved N-terminal serine is required for CGH-1 function in the miRNA pathway.