Current biology, 2008-06, Vol.18 (12), p.861-867
2008
Details
- Autor(en) / Beteiligte
- Titel
- A C. elegans Piwi, PRG-1, Regulates 21U-RNAs during Spermatogenesis
- Ist Teil von
- Current biology, 2008-06, Vol.18 (12), p.861-867
- Ort / Verlag
- England: Elsevier Inc
- Erscheinungsjahr
- 2008
- Link zum Volltext
- Quelle
- Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals
- Beschreibungen/Notizen
- Epigenetic regulation by diverse classes of small RNAs is mediated by the highly conserved Argonaute/Piwi family of proteins. Although Argonautes are broadly expressed, the Piwi subfamily primarily functions in the germ line. Piwi proteins are associated with germline-specific ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules in Drosophila, zebrafish, and mouse. Depending on the species and on the specific family member, Piwis play important roles in spermatogenesis and/or in maintaining germ cell and stem cell totipotency. Piwis bind to a newly discovered class of small RNAs, called piRNAs. C. elegans contains a large set of Argonaute/Piwi-related proteins, including two closely related to piwi called prg-1 and prg-2. The function of prg-1 and prg-2 and whether piRNAs exist in C. elegans is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the Piwi-like protein PRG-1 is localized to P granules in germ cells entering spermatogenesis and is required for successful spermatogenesis. Loss of prg-1 causes a marked reduction in expression of a subset of mRNAs expressed during spermatogenesis, and prg-1 mutant sperm exhibit extensive defects in activation and fertilization. Moreover, prg-1 activity is required for the presence of the small RNAs called 21U-RNAs. Our data suggest that PRG-1 promotes expression, processing, or stability of 21U-RNAs, which, in turn or in concert with PRG-1, promote proper expression of spermatogenesis transcripts.
- Sprache
- Englisch
- Identifikatoren
- ISSN: 0960-9822eISSN: 1879-0445DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2008.05.009Titel-ID: cdi_pubmedcentral_primary_oai_pubmedcentral_nih_gov_2494713
- Format
- –
- Schlagworte
- Animals, Argonaute Proteins, Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics, Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism, Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism, Danio rerio, Drosophila, Gene Expression Regulation, Male, MicroRNAs - genetics, MicroRNAs - metabolism, RNA, RNA, Helminth - genetics, RNA, Helminth - metabolism, RNA, Messenger - genetics, RNA, Messenger - metabolism, RNA, Small Interfering - genetics, RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism, RNA-Induced Silencing Complex - genetics, RNA-Induced Silencing Complex - metabolism, Spermatogenesis - genetics, Spermatogenesis - physiology