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Pamula MC, Lehmann R. How germ granules promote germ cell fate. Nat Rev Genet 2024:10.1038/s41576-024-00744-8. [PMID: 38890558 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00744-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Germ cells are the only cells in the body capable of giving rise to a new organism, and this totipotency hinges on their ability to assemble membraneless germ granules. These specialized RNA and protein complexes are hallmarks of germ cells throughout their life cycle: as embryonic germ granules in late oocytes and zygotes, Balbiani bodies in immature oocytes, and nuage in maturing gametes. Decades of developmental, genetic and biochemical studies have identified protein and RNA constituents unique to germ granules and have implicated these in germ cell identity, genome integrity and gamete differentiation. Now, emerging research is defining germ granules as biomolecular condensates that achieve high molecular concentrations by phase separation, and it is assigning distinct roles to germ granules during different stages of germline development. This organization of the germ cell cytoplasm into cellular subcompartments seems to be critical not only for the flawless continuity through the germline life cycle within the developing organism but also for the success of the next generation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ruth Lehmann
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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2
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González YR, Kamkar F, Jafar-Nejad P, Wang S, Qu D, Alvarez LS, Hawari D, Sonnenfeld M, Slack RS, Albert PR, Park DS, Joselin A. PFTK1 kinase regulates axogenesis during development via RhoA activation. BMC Biol 2023; 21:240. [PMID: 37907898 PMCID: PMC10617079 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01732-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND PFTK1/Eip63E is a member of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) family and plays an important role in normal cell cycle progression. Eip63E expresses primarily in postnatal and adult nervous system in Drosophila melanogaster but its role in CNS development remains unknown. We sought to understand the function of Eip63E in the CNS by studying the fly ventral nerve cord during development. RESULTS Our results demonstrate that Eip63E regulates axogenesis in neurons and its deficiency leads to neuronal defects. Functional interaction studies performed using the same system identify an interaction between Eip63E and the small GTPase Rho1. Furthermore, deficiency of Eip63E homolog in mice, PFTK1, in a newly generated PFTK1 knockout mice results in increased axonal outgrowth confirming that the developmental defects observed in the fly model are due to defects in axogenesis. Importantly, RhoA phosphorylation and activity are affected by PFTK1 in primary neuronal cultures. We report that GDP-bound inactive RhoA is a substrate of PFTK1 and PFTK1 phosphorylation is required for RhoA activity. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, our work establishes an unreported neuronal role of PFTK1 in axon development mediated by phosphorylation and activation of GDP-bound RhoA. The results presented add to our understanding of the role of Cdks in the maintenance of RhoA-mediated axon growth and its impact on CNS development and axonal regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fatemeh Kamkar
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Paymaan Jafar-Nejad
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Present Address: Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Carlsbad, CA, 92010, USA
| | - Suzi Wang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Dianbo Qu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Leticia Sanchez Alvarez
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Dina Hawari
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Margaret Sonnenfeld
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Ruth S Slack
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Paul R Albert
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - David S Park
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
| | - Alvin Joselin
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
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3
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Ho S, Rice NP, Yu T, Weng Z, Theurkauf WE. Aub, Vasa and Armi localization to phase separated nuage is dispensable for piRNA biogenesis and transposon silencing in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.25.549160. [PMID: 37546958 PMCID: PMC10402007 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.25.549160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
From nematodes to placental mammals, key components of the germline transposon silencing piRNAs pathway localize to phase separated perinuclear granules. In Drosophila, the PIWI protein Aub, DEAD box protein Vasa and helicase Armi localize to nuage granules and are required for ping-pong piRNA amplification and phased piRNA processing. Drosophila piRNA mutants lead to genome instability and Chk2 kinase DNA damage signaling. By systematically analyzing piRNA pathway organization, small RNA production, and long RNA expression in single piRNA mutants and corresponding chk2/mnk double mutants, we show that Chk2 activation disrupts nuage localization of Aub and Vasa, and that the HP1 homolog Rhino, which drives piRNA precursor transcription, is required for Aub, Vasa, and Armi localization to nuage. However, these studies also show that ping-pong amplification and phased piRNA biogenesis are independent of nuage localization of Vasa, Aub and Armi. Dispersed cytoplasmic proteins thus appear to mediate these essential piRNA pathway functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Ho
- Program in Molecular Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Nicholas P Rice
- Program in Molecular Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Tianxiong Yu
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester MA
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4
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piRNA-guided intron removal from pre-mRNAs regulates density-dependent reproductive strategy. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110593. [PMID: 35476998 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal density-dependent experiences have profound effects on reproductive strategies with marked fecundity differences. Migratory locust adopts distinct population density-dependent reproductive strategies to cope with their respective life cycles, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report that Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in the locust germline play key roles in this process. We find that the locust Piwi protein Liwi1 and piRNAs are highly expressed in early developing egg chambers in solitarious locusts, which have higher fecundity than gregarious locusts. Approximately 40% of solitarious locust-associated piRNAs map to protein-coding genes. We find that Liwi1/piRNAs facilitate pre-mRNA splicing of oocyte development-related genes, such as oo18 RNA-binding protein (Orb), in the germline by recruiting the splicing factor U2AF35 to piRNA-targeted introns, thereby increasing fecundity. Such piRNA-guided pre-mRNA splicing is also functional in Drosophila and mouse germ cells. We uncover a piRNA-guided splicing mechanism for processing reproduction-related mRNAs and determining animal reproductive strategies.
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5
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ElMaghraby MF, Tirian L, Senti KA, Meixner K, Brennecke J. A genetic toolkit for studying transposon control in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab179. [PMID: 34718559 PMCID: PMC8733420 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Argonaute proteins of the PIWI clade complexed with PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) protect the animal germline genome by silencing transposable elements. One of the leading experimental systems for studying piRNA biology is the Drosophila melanogaster ovary. In addition to classical mutagenesis, transgenic RNA interference (RNAi), which enables tissue-specific silencing of gene expression, plays a central role in piRNA research. Here, we establish a versatile toolkit focused on piRNA biology that combines germline transgenic RNAi, GFP marker lines for key proteins of the piRNA pathway, and reporter transgenes to establish genetic hierarchies. We compare constitutive, pan-germline RNAi with an equally potent transgenic RNAi system that is activated only after germ cell cyst formation. Stage-specific RNAi allows us to investigate the role of genes essential for germline cell survival, for example, nuclear RNA export or the SUMOylation pathway, in piRNA-dependent and independent transposon silencing. Our work forms the basis for an expandable genetic toolkit provided by the Vienna Drosophila Resource Center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa F ElMaghraby
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna 1030, Austria
- Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School at the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Laszlo Tirian
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Kirsten-André Senti
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Katharina Meixner
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Julius Brennecke
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna 1030, Austria
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6
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Bestetti I, Barbieri C, Sironi A, Specchia V, Yatsenko SA, De Donno MD, Caslini C, Gentilini D, Crippa M, Larizza L, Marozzi A, Rajkovic A, Toniolo D, Bozzetti MP, Finelli P. Targeted whole exome sequencing and Drosophila modelling to unveil the molecular basis of primary ovarian insufficiency. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:2975-2991. [PMID: 34480478 PMCID: PMC8523209 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Can a targeted whole exome sequencing (WES) on a cohort of women showing a primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) phenotype at a young age, combined with a study of copy number variations, identify variants in candidate genes confirming their deleterious effect on ovarian function? SUMMARY ANSWER This integrated approach has proved effective in identifying novel candidate genes unveiling mechanisms involved in POI pathogenesis. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY POI, a condition occurring in 1% of women under 40 years of age, affects women’s fertility leading to a premature loss of ovarian reserve. The genetic causes of POI are highly heterogeneous and several determinants contributing to its prominent oligogenic inheritance pattern still need to be elucidated. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION WES screening for pathogenic variants of 41 Italian women with non-syndromic primary and early secondary amenorrhoea occurring before age 25 was replicated on another 60 POI patients, including 35 French and 25 American women, to reveal statistically significant shared variants. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The Italian POI patients’ DNA were processed by targeted WES including 542 RefSeq genes expressed or functioning during distinct reproductive or ovarian processes (e.g. DNA repair, meiosis, oocyte maturation, folliculogenesis and menopause). Extremely rare variants were filtered and selected by means of a Fisher Exact test using several publicly available datasets. A case-control Burden test was applied to highlight the most significant genes using two ad-hoc control female cohorts. To support the obtained data, the identified genes were screened on a novel cohort of 60 Caucasian POI patients and the same case-control analysis was carried out. Comparative analysis of the human identified genes was performed on mouse and Drosophila melanogaster by analysing the orthologous genes in their ovarian phenotype, and two of the selected genes were fruit fly modelled to explore their role in fertility. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The filtering steps applied to search for extremely rare pathogenic variants in the Italian cohort revealed 64 validated single-nucleotide variants/Indels in 59 genes in 30 out of 41 screened women. Burden test analysis highlighted 13 ovarian genes as being the most enriched and significant. To validate these findings, filtering steps and Burden analysis on the second cohort of Caucasian patients yielded 11 significantly enriched genes. Among them, AFP, DMRT3, MOV10, FYN and MYC were significant in both patient cohorts and hence were considered strong candidates for POI. Mouse and Drosophila comparative analysis evaluated a conserved role through the evolution of several candidates, and functional studies using a Drosophila model, when applicable, supported the conserved role of the MOV10 armitage and DMRT3 dmrt93B orthologues in female fertility. LARGE SCALE DATA The datasets for the Italian cohort generated during the current study are publicly available at ClinVar database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/clinvar/): accession numbers SCV001364312 to SCV001364375. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This is a targeted WES analysis hunting variants in candidate genes previously identified by different genomic approaches. For most of the investigated sporadic cases, we could not track the parental inheritance, due to unavailability of the parents’ DNA samples; in addition, we might have overlooked additional rare variants in novel candidate POI genes extracted from the exome data. On the contrary, we might have considered some inherited variants whose clinical significance is uncertain and might not be causative for the patients’ phenotype. Additionally, as regards the Drosophila model, it will be extremely important in the future to have more mutants or RNAi strains available for each candidate gene in order to validate their role in POI pathogenesis. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The genomic, statistical, comparative and functional approaches integrated in our study convincingly support the extremely heterogeneous oligogenic nature of POI, and confirm the maintenance across the evolution of some key genes safeguarding fertility and successful reproduction. Two principal classes of genes were identified: (i) genes primarily involved in meiosis, namely in synaptonemal complex formation, asymmetric division and oocyte maturation and (ii) genes safeguarding cell maintenance (piRNA and DNA repair pathways). STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by Italian Ministry of Health grants ‘Ricerca Corrente’ (08C621_2016 and 08C924_2019) provided to IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, and by ‘Piano Sostegno alla Ricerca’ (PSR2020_FINELLI_LINEA_B) provided by the University of Milan; M.P.B. was supported by Telethon-Italy (grant number GG14181). There are no conflicts of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Bestetti
- Research Laboratory of Medical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - C Barbieri
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Research Institute and Vita Salute University, Milan, Italy
| | - A Sironi
- Research Laboratory of Medical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - V Specchia
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - S A Yatsenko
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - M D De Donno
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - C Caslini
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - D Gentilini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Bioinformatics and Statistical Genomics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - M Crippa
- Research Laboratory of Medical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - L Larizza
- Research Laboratory of Medical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - A Marozzi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - A Rajkovic
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San, Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Institute of Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - D Toniolo
- Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Research Institute and Vita Salute University, Milan, Italy
| | - M P Bozzetti
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - P Finelli
- Research Laboratory of Medical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Segrate, Milan, Italy
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7
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Loss of telomere silencing is accompanied by dysfunction of Polo kinase and centrosomes during Drosophila oogenesis and early development. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258156. [PMID: 34624021 PMCID: PMC8500440 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that protect the ends of eukaryotic linear chromosomes from degradation and fusions. Telomere dysfunction leads to cell growth arrest, oncogenesis, and premature aging. Telomeric RNAs have been found in all studied species; however, their functions and biogenesis are not clearly understood. We studied the mechanisms of development disorders observed upon overexpression of telomeric repeats in Drosophila. In somatic cells, overexpression of telomeric retrotransposon HeT-A is cytotoxic and leads to the accumulation of HeT-A Gag near centrosomes. We found that RNA and RNA-binding protein Gag encoded by the telomeric retrotransposon HeT-A interact with Polo and Cdk1 mitotic kinases, which are conserved regulators of centrosome biogenesis and cell cycle. The depletion of proteins Spindle E, Ccr4 or Ars2 resulting in HeT-A overexpression in the germline was accompanied by mislocalization of Polo as well as its abnormal stabilization during oogenesis and severe deregulation of centrosome biogenesis leading to maternal-effect embryonic lethality. These data suggest a mechanistic link between telomeric HeT-A ribonucleoproteins and cell cycle regulators that ensures the cell response to telomere dysfunction.
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8
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Binding of guide piRNA triggers methylation of the unstructured N-terminal region of Aub leading to assembly of the piRNA amplification complex. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4061. [PMID: 34210982 PMCID: PMC8249470 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24351-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI proteins use guide piRNAs to repress selfish genomic elements, protecting the genomic integrity of gametes and ensuring the fertility of animal species. Efficient transposon repression depends on amplification of piRNA guides in the ping-pong cycle, which in Drosophila entails tight cooperation between two PIWI proteins, Aub and Ago3. Here we show that post-translational modification, symmetric dimethylarginine (sDMA), of Aub is essential for piRNA biogenesis, transposon silencing and fertility. Methylation is triggered by loading of a piRNA guide into Aub, which exposes its unstructured N-terminal region to the PRMT5 methylosome complex. Thus, sDMA modification is a signal that Aub is loaded with piRNA guide. Amplification of piRNA in the ping-pong cycle requires assembly of a tertiary complex scaffolded by Krimper, which simultaneously binds the N-terminal regions of Aub and Ago3. To promote generation of new piRNA, Krimper uses its two Tudor domains to bind Aub and Ago3 in opposite modification and piRNA-loading states. Our results reveal that post-translational modifications in unstructured regions of PIWI proteins and their binding by Tudor domains that are capable of discriminating between modification states is essential for piRNA biogenesis and silencing.
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9
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Lidak T, Baloghova N, Korinek V, Sedlacek R, Balounova J, Kasparek P, Cermak L. CRL4-DCAF12 Ubiquitin Ligase Controls MOV10 RNA Helicase during Spermatogenesis and T Cell Activation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5394. [PMID: 34065512 PMCID: PMC8161014 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22105394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Multisubunit cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase 4 (CRL4)-DCAF12 recognizes the C-terminal degron containing acidic amino acid residues. However, its physiological roles and substrates are largely unknown. Purification of CRL4-DCAF12 complexes revealed a wide range of potential substrates, including MOV10, an "ancient" RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) complex RNA helicase. We show that DCAF12 controls the MOV10 protein level via its C-terminal motif in a proteasome- and CRL-dependent manner. Next, we generated Dcaf12 knockout mice and demonstrated that the DCAF12-mediated degradation of MOV10 is conserved in mice and humans. Detailed analysis of Dcaf12-deficient mice revealed that their testes produce fewer mature sperms, phenotype accompanied by elevated MOV10 and imbalance in meiotic markers SCP3 and γ-H2AX. Additionally, the percentages of splenic CD4+ T and natural killer T (NKT) cell populations were significantly altered. In vitro, activated Dcaf12-deficient T cells displayed inappropriately stabilized MOV10 and increased levels of activated caspases. In summary, we identified MOV10 as a novel substrate of CRL4-DCAF12 and demonstrated the biological relevance of the DCAF12-MOV10 pathway in spermatogenesis and T cell activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Lidak
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic; (T.L.); (N.B.); (V.K.)
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Nikol Baloghova
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic; (T.L.); (N.B.); (V.K.)
| | - Vladimir Korinek
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic; (T.L.); (N.B.); (V.K.)
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Radislav Sedlacek
- Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic; (R.S.); (J.B.); (P.K.)
| | - Jana Balounova
- Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic; (R.S.); (J.B.); (P.K.)
| | - Petr Kasparek
- Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic; (R.S.); (J.B.); (P.K.)
| | - Lukas Cermak
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic; (T.L.); (N.B.); (V.K.)
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10
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piRNAs as Modulators of Disease Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052373. [PMID: 33673453 PMCID: PMC7956838 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in understanding disease pathogenesis correlates to modifications in gene expression within different tissues and organ systems. In depth knowledge about the dysregulation of gene expression profiles is fundamental to fully uncover mechanisms in disease development and changes in host homeostasis. The body of knowledge surrounding mammalian regulatory elements, specifically regulators of chromatin structure, transcriptional and translational activation, has considerably surged within the past decade. A set of key regulators whose function still needs to be fully elucidated are small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs). Due to their broad range of unfolding functions in the regulation of gene expression during transcription and translation, sncRNAs are becoming vital to many cellular processes. Within the past decade, a novel class of sncRNAs called PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been implicated in various diseases, and understanding their complete function is of vital importance. Historically, piRNAs have been shown to be indispensable in germline integrity and stem cell development. Accumulating research evidence continue to reveal the many arms of piRNA function. Although piRNA function and biogenesis has been extensively studied in Drosophila, it is thought that they play similar roles in vertebrate species, including humans. Compounding evidence suggests that piRNAs encompass a wider functional range than small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), which have been studied more in terms of cellular homeostasis and disease. This review aims to summarize contemporary knowledge regarding biogenesis, and homeostatic function of piRNAs and their emerging roles in the development of pathologies related to cardiomyopathies, cancer, and infectious diseases.
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11
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Hsu SJ, Stow EC, Simmons JR, Wallace HA, Lopez AM, Stroud S, Labrador M. Mutations in the insulator protein Suppressor of Hairy wing induce genome instability. Chromosoma 2020; 129:255-274. [PMID: 33140220 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-020-00743-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Insulator proteins orchestrate the three-dimensional organization of the genome. Insulators function by facilitating communications between regulatory sequences and gene promoters, allowing accurate gene transcription regulation during embryo development and cell differentiation. However, the role of insulator proteins beyond genome organization and transcription regulation remains unclear. Suppressor of Hairy wing [Su(Hw)] is a Drosophila insulator protein that plays an important function in female oogenesis. Here we find that su(Hw) has an unsuspected role in genome stability during cell differentiation. We show that su(Hw) mutant developing egg chambers have poorly formed microtubule organization centers (MTOCs) in the germarium and display mislocalization of the anterior/posterior axis specification factor gurken in later oogenesis stages. Additionally, eggshells from partially rescued su(Hw) mutant female germline exhibit dorsoventral patterning defects. These phenotypes are very similar to phenotypes found in the important class of spindle mutants or in piRNA pathway mutants in Drosophila, in which defects generally result from the failure of germ cells to repair DNA damage. Similarities between mutations in su(Hw) and spindle and piRNA mutants are further supported by an excess of DNA damage in nurse cells, and because Gurken localization defects are partially rescued by mutations in the ATR (mei-41) and Chk1 (grapes) DNA damage response genes. Finally, we also show that su(Hw) mutants produce an elevated number of chromosome breaks in dividing neuroblasts from larval brains. Together, these findings suggest that Su(Hw) is necessary for the maintenance of genome integrity during Drosophila development, in both germline and dividing somatic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Jui Hsu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Emily C Stow
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - James R Simmons
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Heather A Wallace
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Andrea Mancheno Lopez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Shannon Stroud
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Mariano Labrador
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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12
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Ishizu H, Kinoshita T, Hirakata S, Komatsuzaki C, Siomi MC. Distinct and Collaborative Functions of Yb and Armitage in Transposon-Targeting piRNA Biogenesis. Cell Rep 2020; 27:1822-1835.e8. [PMID: 31067466 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) repress transposons to maintain germline genome integrity. Previous studies showed that artificial tethering of Armitage (Armi) to reporter RNAs induced piRNA biogenesis. However, the lack of female sterile (1) Yb (Yb) in Drosophila ovarian somatic cells (OSCs) impaired the production of transposon-targeting piRNAs, even in the presence of Armi. Here, we show that the specific interaction of Armi with RNA transcripts of the flamenco piRNA cluster, the primary source of transposon-targeting piRNAs in OSCs, is strictly regulated by Yb. The lack of Yb allowed Armi to bind RNAs promiscuously, leading to the production of piRNAs unrelated to transposon silencing. The ATP hydrolysis-defective mutants of Armi failed to unwind RNAs and were retained on them, abolishing piRNA production. These findings shed light on distinct and collaborative requirements of Yb and Armi in transposon-targeting piRNA biogenesis. We also provide evidence supporting the direct involvement of Armi but not Yb in Zucchini-dependent piRNA phasing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotsugu Ishizu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Tatsuki Kinoshita
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Shigeki Hirakata
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Chihiro Komatsuzaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Mikiko C Siomi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
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13
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Ramat A, Garcia-Silva MR, Jahan C, Naït-Saïdi R, Dufourt J, Garret C, Chartier A, Cremaschi J, Patel V, Decourcelle M, Bastide A, Juge F, Simonelig M. The PIWI protein Aubergine recruits eIF3 to activate translation in the germ plasm. Cell Res 2020; 30:421-435. [PMID: 32132673 PMCID: PMC7196074 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-020-0294-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and PIWI proteins are essential in germ cells to repress transposons and regulate mRNAs. In Drosophila, piRNAs bound to the PIWI protein Aubergine (Aub) are transferred maternally to the embryo and regulate maternal mRNA stability through two opposite roles. They target mRNAs by incomplete base pairing, leading to their destabilization in the soma and stabilization in the germ plasm. Here, we report a function of Aub in translation. Aub is required for translational activation of nanos mRNA, a key determinant of the germ plasm. Aub physically interacts with the poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) and the translation initiation factor eIF3. Polysome gradient profiling reveals the role of Aub at the initiation step of translation. In the germ plasm, PABP and eIF3d assemble in foci that surround Aub-containing germ granules, and Aub acts with eIF3d to promote nanos translation. These results identify translational activation as a new mode of mRNA regulation by Aub, highlighting the versatility of PIWI proteins in mRNA regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Ramat
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Maria-Rosa Garcia-Silva
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Camille Jahan
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Rima Naït-Saïdi
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Jérémy Dufourt
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Céline Garret
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Aymeric Chartier
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Julie Cremaschi
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Vipul Patel
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | | | | | - François Juge
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Martine Simonelig
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
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14
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Mitochondria Associated Germinal Structures in Spermatogenesis: piRNA Pathway Regulation and Beyond. Cells 2020; 9:cells9020399. [PMID: 32050598 PMCID: PMC7072634 DOI: 10.3390/cells9020399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple specific granular structures are present in the cytoplasm of germ cells, termed nuage, which are electron-dense, non-membranous, close to mitochondria and/or nuclei, variant size yielding to different compartments harboring different components, including intermitochondrial cement (IMC), piP-body, and chromatoid body (CB). Since mitochondria exhibit different morphology and topographical arrangements to accommodate specific needs during spermatogenesis, the distribution of mitochondria-associated nuage is also dynamic. The most relevant nuage structure with mitochondria is IMC, also called pi-body, present in prospermatogonia, spermatogonia, and spermatocytes. IMC is primarily enriched with various Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) proteins and mainly functions as piRNA biogenesis, transposon silencing, mRNA translation, and mitochondria fusion. Importantly, our previous work reported that mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs) are abundant in spermatogenic cells and contain many crucial proteins associated with the piRNA pathway. Provocatively, IMC functionally communicates with other nuage structures, such as piP-body, to perform its complex functions in spermatogenesis. Although little is known about the formation of both IMC and MAMs, its distinctive characters have attracted considerable attention. Here, we review the insights gained from studying the structural components of mitochondria-associated germinal structures, including IMC, CB, and MAMs, which are pivotal structures to ensure genome integrity and male fertility. We discuss the roles of the structural components in spermatogenesis and piRNA biogenesis, which provide new insights into mitochondria-associated germinal structures in germ cell development and male reproduction.
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15
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Stolyarenko AD. Nuclear Argonaute Piwi Gene Mutation Affects rRNA by Inducing rRNA Fragment Accumulation, Antisense Expression, and Defective Processing in Drosophila Ovaries. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21031119. [PMID: 32046213 PMCID: PMC7037970 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21031119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Drosophila key nuclear piRNA silencing pathway protein Piwi of the Argonaute family has been classically studied as a factor controlling transposable elements and fertility. Piwi has been shown to concentrate in the nucleolus for reasons largely unknown. Ribosomal RNA is the main component of the nucleolus. In this work the effect of a piwi mutation on rRNA is described. This work led to three important conclusions: A mutation in piwi induces antisense 5S rRNA expression, a processing defect of 2S rRNA orthologous to the 3′-end of eukaryotic 5.8S rRNA, and accumulation of fragments of all five rRNAs in Drosophilamelanogaster ovaries. Hypotheses to explain these phenomena are proposed, possibly involving the interaction of the components of the piRNA pathway with the RNA surveillance machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia D Stolyarenko
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 Kurchatov Sq., Moscow 123182, Russia
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16
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Assembly and Function of Gonad-Specific Non-Membranous Organelles in Drosophila piRNA Biogenesis. Noncoding RNA 2019; 5:ncrna5040052. [PMID: 31698692 PMCID: PMC6958439 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna5040052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that repress transposons in animal germlines. This protects the genome from the invasive DNA elements. piRNA pathway failures lead to DNA damage, gonadal development defects, and infertility. Thus, the piRNA pathway is indispensable for the continuation of animal life. piRNA-mediated transposon silencing occurs in both the nucleus and cytoplasm while piRNA biogenesis is a solely cytoplasmic event. piRNA production requires a number of proteins, the majority of which localize to non-membranous organelles that specifically appear in the gonads. Other piRNA factors are localized on outer mitochondrial membranes. In situ RNA hybridization experiments show that piRNA precursors are compartmentalized into other non-membranous organelles. In this review, we summarize recent findings about the function of these organelles in the Drosophila piRNA pathway by focusing on their assembly and function.
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17
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Hanet A, Räsch F, Weber R, Ruscica V, Fauser M, Raisch T, Kuzuoğlu-Öztürk D, Chang CT, Bhandari D, Igreja C, Wohlbold L. HELZ directly interacts with CCR4-NOT and causes decay of bound mRNAs. Life Sci Alliance 2019; 2:2/5/e201900405. [PMID: 31570513 PMCID: PMC6769256 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The putative UPF1-like SF1 helicase HELZ directly interacts with the CCR4–NOT deadenylase complex to induce translational repression and 5′-to-3′ decay of bound mRNAs. Eukaryotic superfamily (SF) 1 helicases have been implicated in various aspects of RNA metabolism, including transcription, processing, translation, and degradation. Nevertheless, until now, most human SF1 helicases remain poorly understood. Here, we have functionally and biochemically characterized the role of a putative SF1 helicase termed “helicase with zinc-finger,” or HELZ. We discovered that HELZ associates with various mRNA decay factors, including components of the carbon catabolite repressor 4-negative on TATA box (CCR4–NOT) deadenylase complex in human and Drosophila melanogaster cells. The interaction between HELZ and the CCR4–NOT complex is direct and mediated by extended low-complexity regions in the C-terminal part of the protein. We further reveal that HELZ requires the deadenylase complex to mediate translational repression and decapping-dependent mRNA decay. Finally, transcriptome-wide analysis of Helz-null cells suggests that HELZ has a role in the regulation of the expression of genes associated with the development of the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoife Hanet
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Felix Räsch
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ramona Weber
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vincenzo Ruscica
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria Fauser
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Raisch
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Duygu Kuzuoğlu-Öztürk
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany.,Helen Diller Family Cancer Research, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Chung-Te Chang
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dipankar Bhandari
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Cátia Igreja
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lara Wohlbold
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
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18
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Ozata DM, Gainetdinov I, Zoch A, O'Carroll D, Zamore PD. PIWI-interacting RNAs: small RNAs with big functions. Nat Rev Genet 2019; 20:89-108. [PMID: 30446728 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-018-0073-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 641] [Impact Index Per Article: 128.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In animals, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) of 21-35 nucleotides in length silence transposable elements, regulate gene expression and fight viral infection. piRNAs guide PIWI proteins to cleave target RNA, promote heterochromatin assembly and methylate DNA. The architecture of the piRNA pathway allows it both to provide adaptive, sequence-based immunity to rapidly evolving viruses and transposons and to regulate conserved host genes. piRNAs silence transposons in the germ line of most animals, whereas somatic piRNA functions have been lost, gained and lost again across evolution. Moreover, most piRNA pathway proteins are deeply conserved, but different animals employ remarkably divergent strategies to produce piRNA precursor transcripts. Here, we discuss how a common piRNA pathway allows animals to recognize diverse targets, ranging from selfish genetic elements to genes essential for gametogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz M Ozata
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ansgar Zoch
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dónal O'Carroll
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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19
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Fu K, Tian S, Tan H, Wang C, Wang H, Wang M, Wang Y, Chen Z, Wang Y, Yue Q, Xu Q, Zhang S, Li H, Xie J, Lin M, Luo M, Chen F, Ye L, Zheng K. Biological and RNA regulatory function of MOV10 in mammalian germ cells. BMC Biol 2019; 17:39. [PMID: 31088452 PMCID: PMC6515687 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0659-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background RNA regulation by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) involve extremely complicated mechanisms. MOV10 and MOV10L1 are two homologous RNA helicases implicated in distinct intracellular pathways. MOV10L1 participates specifically in Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) biogenesis and protects mouse male fertility. In contrast, the functional complexity of MOV10 remains incompletely understood, and its role in the mammalian germline is unknown. Here, we report a study of the biological and molecular functions of the RNA helicase MOV10 in mammalian male germ cells. Results MOV10 is a nucleocytoplasmic protein mainly expressed in spermatogonia. Knockdown and transplantation experiments show that MOV10 deficiency has a negative effect on spermatogonial progenitor cells (SPCs), limiting proliferation and in vivo repopulation capacity. This effect is concurrent with a global disturbance of RNA homeostasis and downregulation of factors critical for SPC proliferation and/or self-renewal. Unexpectedly, microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis is impaired due partially to decrease of miRNA primary transcript levels and/or retention of miRNA via splicing control. Genome-wide analysis of RNA targetome reveals that MOV10 binds preferentially to mRNAs with long 3′-UTR and also interacts with various non-coding RNA species including those in the nucleus. Intriguingly, nuclear MOV10 associates with an array of splicing factors, particularly with SRSF1, and its intronic binding sites tend to reside in proximity to splice sites. Conclusions These data expand the landscape of MOV10 function and highlight a previously unidentified role initiated from the nucleus, suggesting that MOV10 is a versatile RBP involved in a broader RNA regulatory network. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12915-019-0659-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiqiang Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Suwen Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.,Department of Preventive Medicine, Heze Medical College, Heze, 274000, China
| | - Huanhuan Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Caifeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Hanben Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Zhen Chen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yanfeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Qiuling Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Qiushi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Shuya Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Haixin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Jie Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Mingyan Lin
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Mengcheng Luo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Lan Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Ke Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.
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20
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Ge DT, Wang W, Tipping C, Gainetdinov I, Weng Z, Zamore PD. The RNA-Binding ATPase, Armitage, Couples piRNA Amplification in Nuage to Phased piRNA Production on Mitochondria. Mol Cell 2019; 74:982-995.e6. [PMID: 31076285 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silence transposons in Drosophila ovaries, ensuring female fertility. Two coupled pathways generate germline piRNAs: the ping-pong cycle, in which the PIWI proteins Aubergine and Ago3 increase the abundance of pre-existing piRNAs, and the phased piRNA pathway, which generates strings of tail-to-head piRNAs, one after another. Proteins acting in the ping-pong cycle localize to nuage, whereas phased piRNA production requires Zucchini, an endonuclease on the mitochondrial surface. Here, we report that Armitage (Armi), an RNA-binding ATPase localized to both nuage and mitochondria, links the ping-pong cycle to the phased piRNA pathway. Mutations that block phased piRNA production deplete Armi from nuage. Armi ATPase mutants cannot support phased piRNA production and inappropriately bind mRNA instead of piRNA precursors. We propose that Armi shuttles between nuage and mitochondria, feeding precursor piRNAs generated by Ago3 cleavage into the Zucchini-dependent production of Aubergine- and Piwi-bound piRNAs on the mitochondrial surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Tianfang Ge
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Cindy Tipping
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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21
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Specchia V, Puricella A, D'Attis S, Massari S, Giangrande A, Bozzetti MP. Drosophila melanogaster as a Model to Study the Multiple Phenotypes, Related to Genome Stability of the Fragile-X Syndrome. Front Genet 2019; 10:10. [PMID: 30815010 PMCID: PMC6381874 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile-X syndrome is one of the most common forms of inherited mental retardation and autistic behaviors. The reduction/absence of the functional FMRP protein, coded by the X-linked Fmr1 gene in humans, is responsible for the syndrome. Patients exhibit a variety of symptoms predominantly linked to the function of FMRP protein in the nervous system like autistic behavior and mild-to-severe intellectual disability. Fragile-X (FraX) individuals also display cellular and morphological traits including branched dendritic spines, large ears, and macroorchidism. The dFmr1 gene is the Drosophila ortholog of the human Fmr1 gene. dFmr1 mutant flies exhibit synaptic abnormalities, behavioral defects as well as an altered germline development, resembling the phenotypes observed in FraX patients. Therefore, Drosophila melanogaster is considered a good model to study the physiopathological mechanisms underlying the Fragile-X syndrome. In this review, we explore how the multifaceted roles of the FMRP protein have been addressed in the Drosophila model and how the gained knowledge may open novel perspectives for understanding the molecular defects causing the disease and for identifying novel therapeutical targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Specchia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Antonietta Puricella
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Simona D'Attis
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Serafina Massari
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Angela Giangrande
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Maria Pia Bozzetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, DiSTeBA, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
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22
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Whittle CA, Extavour CG. Contrasting patterns of molecular evolution in metazoan germ line genes. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:53. [PMID: 30744572 PMCID: PMC6371493 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1363-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Germ lines are the cell lineages that give rise to the sperm and eggs in animals. The germ lines first arise from primordial germ cells (PGCs) during embryogenesis: these form from either a presumed derived mode of preformed germ plasm (inheritance) or from an ancestral mechanism of inductive cell-cell signalling (induction). Numerous genes involved in germ line specification and development have been identified and functionally studied. However, little is known about the molecular evolutionary dynamics of germ line genes in metazoan model systems. RESULTS Here, we studied the molecular evolution of germ line genes within three metazoan model systems. These include the genus Drosophila (N=34 genes, inheritance), the fellow insect Apis (N=30, induction), and their more distant relative Caenorhabditis (N=23, inheritance). Using multiple species and established phylogenies in each genus, we report that germ line genes exhibited marked variation in the constraint on protein sequence divergence (dN/dS) and codon usage bias (CUB) within each genus. Importantly, we found that de novo lineage-specific inheritance (LSI) genes in Drosophila (osk, pgc) and in Caenorhabditis (pie-1, pgl-1), which are essential to germ plasm functions under the derived inheritance mode, displayed rapid protein sequence divergence relative to the other germ line genes within each respective genus. We show this may reflect the evolution of specialized germ plasm functions and/or low pleiotropy of LSI genes, features not shared with other germ line genes. In addition, we observed that the relative ranking of dN/dS and of CUB between genera were each more strongly correlated between Drosophila and Caenorhabditis, from different phyla, than between Drosophila and its insect relative Apis, suggesting taxonomic differences in how germ line genes have evolved. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the present results advance our understanding of the evolution of animal germ line genes within three well-known metazoan models. Further, the findings provide insights to the molecular evolution of germ line genes with respect to LSI status, pleiotropy, adaptive evolution as well as PGC-specification mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie A Whittle
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Cassandra G Extavour
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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Brito T, Julio A, Berni M, de Castro Poncio L, Bernardes ES, Araujo H, Sammeth M, Pane A. Transcriptomic and functional analyses of the piRNA pathway in the Chagas disease vector Rhodnius prolixus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006760. [PMID: 30303955 PMCID: PMC6179187 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The piRNA pathway is a surveillance system that guarantees oogenesis and adult fertility in a range of animal species. The pathway is centered on PIWI clade Argonaute proteins and the associated small non-coding RNAs termed piRNAs. In this study, we set to investigate the evolutionary conservation of the piRNA pathway in the hemimetabolous insect Rhodnius prolixus. Our transcriptome profiling reveals that core components of the pathway are expressed during previtellogenic stages of oogenesis. Rhodnius’ genome harbors four putative piwi orthologs. We show that Rp-piwi2, Rp-piwi3 and Rp-ago3, but not Rp-piwi1 transcripts are produced in the germline tissues and maternally deposited in the mature eggs. Consistent with a role in Rhodnius oogenesis, parental RNAi against the Rp-piwi2, Rp-piwi3 and Rp-ago3 results in severe egg laying and female adult fertility defects. Furthermore, we show that the reduction of the Rp-piwi2 levels by parental RNAi disrupts oogenesis by causing a dramatic loss of trophocytes, egg chamber degeneration and oogenesis arrest. Intriguingly, the putative Rp-Piwi2 protein features a polyglutamine tract at its N-terminal region, which is conserved in PIWI proteins encoded in the genome of other Triatomine species. Together with R. prolixus, these hematophagous insects are primary vectors of the Chagas disease. Thus, our data shed more light on the evolution of the piRNA pathway and provide a framework for the development of new control strategies for Chagas disease insect vectors. Rhodnius prolixus together with other blood-feeding bugs of the Triatominae family are primary vectors of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of the Chagas disease. It has been estimated that 7–8 million people are affected by this life-threatening illness worldwide, which makes the Chagas disease one of the most neglected tropical diseases. In this study, we describe the transcriptome of previtellogenic stages of Rhodnius oogenesis. Furthermore, by using a combination of molecular biology techniques and functional analyses we show that central components of the piRNA pathway are conserved in this species. The piRNA pathway guarantees genomic stability in the germ cells of organisms as distant as flies and mice. In accordance, we find that the knock-down of the piwi genes, which form the backbone of the pathway, results in partial or complete female adult sterility in Rhodnius. Our data will help improve the annotation of the Rhodnius genome and provide a framework for the development of novel techniques aiming at the eradication of Rhodnius prolixus and other Triatomine species from the infested areas. The achievement of this goal will ultimately prevent the transmission of trypanosomes to humans and reduce or eliminate the diffusion of the Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarcisio Brito
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Molecular Entomology (INCT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alison Julio
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Molecular Entomology (INCT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mateus Berni
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Molecular Entomology (INCT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Emerson Soares Bernardes
- Forrest Brasil Tecnologia Ltda, Araucária, Paraná, Brazil
- Nuclear Energy Research Institute, Radiopharmacy Center, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Helena Araujo
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Molecular Entomology (INCT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Michael Sammeth
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Attilio Pane
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Molecular Entomology (INCT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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24
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Subcellular Specialization and Organelle Behavior in Germ Cells. Genetics 2018; 208:19-51. [PMID: 29301947 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gametes, eggs and sperm, are the highly specialized cell types on which the development of new life solely depends. Although all cells share essential organelles, such as the ER (endoplasmic reticulum), Golgi, mitochondria, and centrosomes, germ cells display unique regulation and behavior of organelles during gametogenesis. These germ cell-specific functions of organelles serve critical roles in successful gamete production. In this chapter, I will review the behaviors and roles of organelles during germ cell differentiation.
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25
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Abstract
Gametogenesis represents the most dramatic cellular differentiation pathways in both female and male flies. At the genome level, meiosis ensures that diploid germ cells become haploid gametes. At the epigenome level, extensive changes are required to turn on and shut off gene expression in a precise spatiotemporally controlled manner. Research applying conventional molecular genetics and cell biology, in combination with rapidly advancing genomic tools have helped us to investigate (1) how germ cells maintain lineage specificity throughout their adult reproductive lifetime; (2) what molecular mechanisms ensure proper oogenesis and spermatogenesis, as well as protect genome integrity of the germline; (3) how signaling pathways contribute to germline-soma communication; and (4) if such communication is important. In this chapter, we highlight recent discoveries that have improved our understanding of these questions. On the other hand, restarting a new life cycle upon fertilization is a unique challenge faced by gametes, raising questions that involve intergenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Therefore, we also discuss new developments that link changes during gametogenesis to early embryonic development-a rapidly growing field that promises to bring more understanding to some fundamental questions regarding metazoan development.
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Dufourt J, Bontonou G, Chartier A, Jahan C, Meunier AC, Pierson S, Harrison PF, Papin C, Beilharz TH, Simonelig M. piRNAs and Aubergine cooperate with Wispy poly(A) polymerase to stabilize mRNAs in the germ plasm. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1305. [PMID: 29101389 PMCID: PMC5670238 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01431-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and PIWI proteins play a crucial role in germ cells by repressing transposable elements and regulating gene expression. In Drosophila, maternal piRNAs are loaded into the embryo mostly bound to the PIWI protein Aubergine (Aub). Aub targets maternal mRNAs through incomplete base-pairing with piRNAs and can induce their destabilization in the somatic part of the embryo. Paradoxically, these Aub-dependent unstable mRNAs encode germ cell determinants that are selectively stabilized in the germ plasm. Here we show that piRNAs and Aub actively protect germ cell mRNAs in the germ plasm. Aub directly interacts with the germline-specific poly(A) polymerase Wispy, thus leading to mRNA polyadenylation and stabilization in the germ plasm. These results reveal a role for piRNAs in mRNA stabilization and identify Aub as an interactor of Wispy for mRNA polyadenylation. They further highlight the role of Aub and piRNAs in embryonic patterning through two opposite functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Dufourt
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Gwénaëlle Bontonou
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Aymeric Chartier
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Camille Jahan
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Anne-Cécile Meunier
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Stéphanie Pierson
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Paul F Harrison
- Monash Bioinformatics Platform, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Catherine Papin
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Traude H Beilharz
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Martine Simonelig
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
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Rojas-Ríos P, Chartier A, Pierson S, Simonelig M. Aubergine and piRNAs promote germline stem cell self-renewal by repressing the proto-oncogene Cbl. EMBO J 2017; 36:3194-3211. [PMID: 29030484 PMCID: PMC5666619 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201797259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI proteins play essential roles in germ cells and stem cell lineages. In Drosophila, Piwi is required in somatic niche cells and germline stem cells (GSCs) to support GSC self‐renewal and differentiation. Whether and how other PIWI proteins are involved in GSC biology remains unknown. Here, we show that Aubergine (Aub), another PIWI protein, is intrinsically required in GSCs for their self‐renewal and differentiation. Aub needs to be loaded with piRNAs to control GSC self‐renewal and acts through direct mRNA regulation. We identify the Cbl proto‐oncogene, a regulator of mammalian hematopoietic stem cells, as a novel GSC differentiation factor. Aub stimulates GSC self‐renewal by repressing Cbl mRNA translation and does so in part through recruitment of the CCR4‐NOT complex. This study reveals the role of piRNAs and PIWI proteins in controlling stem cell homeostasis via translational repression and highlights piRNAs as major post‐transcriptional regulators in key developmental decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Rojas-Ríos
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Aymeric Chartier
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Stéphanie Pierson
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Martine Simonelig
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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Pandey RR, Homolka D, Chen KM, Sachidanandam R, Fauvarque MO, Pillai RS. Recruitment of Armitage and Yb to a transcript triggers its phased processing into primary piRNAs in Drosophila ovaries. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006956. [PMID: 28827804 PMCID: PMC5578672 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs called PIWI -interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are essential for transposon control and fertility in animals. Primary processing is the small RNA biogenesis pathway that uses long single-stranded RNA precursors to generate millions of individual piRNAs, but the molecular mechanisms that identify a transcript as a precursor are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that artificial tethering of the piRNA biogenesis factor, Armi, to a transcript is sufficient to direct it into primary processing in Drosophila ovaries and in an ovarian cell culture model. In the fly ovarian somatic follicle cells, the transcript becomes cleaved in a stepwise manner, with a 5'→3' directionality, liberating U1-containing ~24 nt piRNAs that are loaded into Piwi. Although uridines are preferred for generation of piRNA 5' ends, processing takes place even in their absence, albeit at a lower efficiency. We show that recombinant Armi has 5'→3' helicase activity, and mutations that abolish this activity also reduce piRNA processing in vivo. Another somatic piRNA pathway factor Yb, an interactor of Armi, is also able to trigger piRNA biogenesis when tethered to a transcript. Tethering-mediated primary piRNA biogenesis is also functional in the fly ovarian germline and loads all the three PIWI proteins present in this environment. Our study finds a broad correlation between piRNA processing and localization of the tethered factors to the cytoplasmic perinuclear ribonucleoprotein granules called germline nuage or somatic Yb bodies. We conclude that transcripts bound by Armi and Yb are identified as piRNA precursors, resulting in localization to cytoplasmic processing granules and their subsequent engagement by the resident piRNA biogenesis machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radha Raman Pandey
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David Homolka
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kuan-Ming Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ravi Sachidanandam
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Marie-Odile Fauvarque
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Institute of Grenoble (BIG), CEA-DRF-BIG-BGE, INSERM U1038, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Ramesh S. Pillai
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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Specchia V, D'Attis S, Puricella A, Bozzetti MP. dFmr1 Plays Roles in Small RNA Pathways of Drosophila melanogaster. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18051066. [PMID: 28509881 PMCID: PMC5454977 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18051066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile-X syndrome is the most common form of inherited mental retardation accompanied by other phenotypes, including macroorchidism. The disorder originates with mutations in the Fmr1 gene coding for the FMRP protein, which, with its paralogs FXR1 and FXR2, constitute a well-conserved family of RNA-binding proteins. Drosophila melanogaster is a good model for the syndrome because it has a unique fragile X-related gene: dFmr1. Recently, in addition to its confirmed role in the miRNA pathway, a function for dFmr1 in the piRNA pathway, operating in Drosophila gonads, has been established. In this review we report a summary of the piRNA pathways occurring in gonads with a special emphasis on the relationship between the piRNA genes and the crystal-Stellate system; we also analyze the roles of dFmr1 in the Drosophila gonads, exploring their genetic and biochemical interactions to reveal some unexpected connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Specchia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA)-University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Simona D'Attis
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA)-University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Antonietta Puricella
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA)-University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Maria Pia Bozzetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA)-University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
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Ma X, Zhu X, Han Y, Story B, Do T, Song X, Wang S, Zhang Y, Blanchette M, Gogol M, Hall K, Peak A, Anoja P, Xie T. Aubergine Controls Germline Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Progeny Differentiation via Distinct Mechanisms. Dev Cell 2017; 41:157-169.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2016] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Toombs JA, Sytnikova YA, Chirn GW, Ang I, Lau NC, Blower MD. Xenopus Piwi proteins interact with a broad proportion of the oocyte transcriptome. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2017; 23:504-520. [PMID: 28031481 PMCID: PMC5340914 DOI: 10.1261/rna.058859.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Piwi proteins utilize small RNAs (piRNAs) to recognize target transcripts such as transposable elements (TE). However, extensive piRNA sequence diversity also suggests that Piwi/piRNA complexes interact with many transcripts beyond TEs. To determine Piwi target RNAs, we used ribonucleoprotein-immunoprecipitation (RIP) and cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) to identify thousands of transcripts associated with the Piwi proteins XIWI and XILI (Piwi-protein-associated transcripts, PATs) from early stage oocytes of X. laevis and X. tropicalis Most PATs associate with both XIWI and XILI and include transcripts of developmentally important proteins in oogenesis and embryogenesis. Only a minor fraction of PATs in both frog species displayed near perfect matches to piRNAs. Since predicting imperfect pairing between all piRNAs and target RNAs remains intractable, we instead determined that PAT read counts correlate well with the lengths and expression levels of transcripts, features that have also been observed for oocyte mRNAs associated with Drosophila Piwi proteins. We used an in vitro assay with exogenous RNA to confirm that XIWI associates with RNAs in a length- and concentration-dependent manner. In this assay, noncoding transcripts with many perfectly matched antisense piRNAs were unstable, whereas coding transcripts with matching piRNAs were stable, consistent with emerging evidence that Piwi proteins both promote the turnover of TEs and other RNAs, and may also regulate mRNA localization and translation. Our study suggests that Piwi proteins play multiple roles in germ cells and establishes a tractable vertebrate system to study the role of Piwi proteins in transcript regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Toombs
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Yuliya A Sytnikova
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Gung-Wei Chirn
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Ignatius Ang
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Nelson C Lau
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | - Michael D Blower
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Vrettos N, Maragkakis M, Alexiou P, Mourelatos Z. Kc167, a widely used Drosophila cell line, contains an active primary piRNA pathway. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2017; 23:108-118. [PMID: 27789612 PMCID: PMC5159643 DOI: 10.1261/rna.059139.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
PIWI family proteins bind to small RNAs known as PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and play essential roles in the germline by silencing transposons and by promoting germ cell specification and function. Here we report that the widely used Kc167 cell line, derived from Drosophila melanogaster embryos, expresses piRNAs that are loaded to Aub and Piwi. Kc167 piRNAs are produced by a canonical, primary piRNA biogenesis pathway, from phased processing of precursor transcripts by the Zuc endonuclease, Armi helicase, and dGasz mitochondrial scaffold protein. Kc167 piRNAs derive from cytoplasmic transcripts, notably tRNAs and mRNAs, and their abundance correlates with that of parent transcripts. The expression of Aub is robust in Kc167, that of Piwi is modest, while Ago3 is undetectable, explaining the lack of transposon-related piRNA amplification by the Aub-Ago3, ping-pong mechanism. We propose that the default state of the primary piRNA biogenesis machinery is random transcript sampling to allow generation of piRNAs from any transcript, including newly acquired retrotransposons. This state is unmasked in Kc167, likely because they do not express piRNA cluster transcripts in sufficient amounts and do not amplify transposon piRNAs. We use Kc167 to characterize an inactive isoform of Aub protein. Since most Kc167 piRNAs are genic, they can be mapped uniquely to the genome, facilitating computational analyses. Furthermore, because Kc167 is a widely used and well-characterized cell line that is easily amenable to experimental manipulations, we expect that it will serve as an excellent system to study piRNA biogenesis and piRNA-related factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Vrettos
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Neuropathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Manolis Maragkakis
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Neuropathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Panagiotis Alexiou
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Neuropathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Zissimos Mourelatos
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Neuropathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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Catrina IE, Bayer LV, Yanez G, McLaughlin JM, Malaczek K, Bagaeva E, Marras SAE, Bratu DP. The temporally controlled expression of Drongo, the fruit fly homolog of AGFG1, is achieved in female germline cells via P-bodies and its localization requires functional Rab11. RNA Biol 2016; 13:1117-1132. [PMID: 27654348 PMCID: PMC5100350 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2016.1218592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
To achieve proper RNA transport and localization, RNA viruses exploit cellular vesicular trafficking pathways. AGFG1, a host protein essential for HIV-1 and Influenza A replication, has been shown to mediate release of intron-containing viral RNAs from the perinuclear region. It is still unknown what its precise role in this release is, or whether AGFG1 also participates in cytoplasmic transport. We report for the first time the expression patterns during oogenesis for Drongo, the fruit fly homolog of AGFG1. We find that temporally controlled Drongo expression is achieved by translational repression of drongo mRNA within P-bodies. Here we show a first link between the recycling endosome pathway and Drongo, and find that proper Drongo localization at the oocyte's cortex during mid-oogenesis requires functional Rab11.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina E. Catrina
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Livia V. Bayer
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Giussepe Yanez
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - John M. McLaughlin
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kornelia Malaczek
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ekaterina Bagaeva
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Salvatore A. E. Marras
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Diana P. Bratu
- Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
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Abstract
Retrotransposons have generated about 40 % of the human genome. This review examines the strategies the cell has evolved to coexist with these genomic "parasites", focussing on the non-long terminal repeat retrotransposons of humans and mice. Some of the restriction factors for retrotransposition, including the APOBECs, MOV10, RNASEL, SAMHD1, TREX1, and ZAP, also limit replication of retroviruses, including HIV, and are part of the intrinsic immune system of the cell. Many of these proteins act in the cytoplasm to degrade retroelement RNA or inhibit its translation. Some factors act in the nucleus and involve DNA repair enzymes or epigenetic processes of DNA methylation and histone modification. RISC and piRNA pathway proteins protect the germline. Retrotransposon control is relaxed in some cell types, such as neurons in the brain, stem cells, and in certain types of disease and cancer, with implications for human health and disease. This review also considers potential pitfalls in interpreting retrotransposon-related data, as well as issues to consider for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L. Goodier
- McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA 212051
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35
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Öner Ç, Turgut Coşan D, Çolak E. Estrogen and Androgen Hormone Levels Modulate the Expression of PIWI Interacting RNA in Prostate and Breast Cancer. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159044. [PMID: 27414029 PMCID: PMC4944994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a member of non-coding RNA, originate from intergenic repetitive regions of the genome. piRNA expressions increase in various cancers and it is thought that this increase could be caused by hormones. We aimed to determine the effects of hormones on piRNA expression in breast and prostate cancer. High viability and a decrease in adhesion were observed at the concentrations of the highest proliferation. Furthermore, an increase in adhesion was also observed in MDA-MB-231 cells. After hormone treatment, while piR-651 expression had increased both breast and prostate cancer cell lines, piR-823 expressions increased in prostate cancer cell lines and only in the breast cancer cell line which was malignant. Thus, it was determined that piR-823 might show different expressions in different type of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Çağrı Öner
- Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Biology, 26480, Eskişehir/Turkey
| | - Didem Turgut Coşan
- Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Biology, 26480, Eskişehir/Turkey
| | - Ertuğrul Çolak
- Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, 26480, Eskişehir/Turkey
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Sahin HB, Karatas OF, Specchia V, Tommaso SD, Diebold C, Bozzetti MP, Giangrande A. Novel mutants of the aubergine gene. Fly (Austin) 2016; 10:81-90. [PMID: 27064345 DOI: 10.1080/19336934.2016.1174355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Aubergine is an RNA-binding protein of the Piwi clade, functioning in germline in the piRNA pathway that silences transposons and repetitive sequences. Several mutations of this gene exist, but they mostly result in truncated proteins or correspond to mutations that also affect neighboring genes. We have generated complete aubergine knock-out mutants that do not disrupt the neighboring genes. These novel mutants are characterized by PCR and sequencing. Their nature is confirmed by female sterility and by the presence of crystals in testes, common to the aubergine loss of function mutations. These mutants provide novel and more appropriate tools for the study of the piRNA pathway that controls genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bahar Sahin
- a IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104 - Inserm U 964 . Illkirch Cedex / FRANCE.,b Current address: Kadir Has University , Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics , Fatih , İstanbul / TURKEY
| | - Omer Faruk Karatas
- a IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104 - Inserm U 964 . Illkirch Cedex / FRANCE.,c Current address: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Erzurum Technical University , Erzurum / TURKEY
| | - Valeria Specchia
- d DiSTeBA - Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology - University of Salento - Lecce , Italy
| | - Silvia Di Tommaso
- d DiSTeBA - Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology - University of Salento - Lecce , Italy
| | - Céline Diebold
- a IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104 - Inserm U 964 . Illkirch Cedex / FRANCE
| | - Maria Pia Bozzetti
- d DiSTeBA - Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology - University of Salento - Lecce , Italy
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Cuevas RA, Ghosh A, Wallerath C, Hornung V, Coyne CB, Sarkar SN. MOV10 Provides Antiviral Activity against RNA Viruses by Enhancing RIG-I-MAVS-Independent IFN Induction. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2016; 196:3877-86. [PMID: 27016603 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Moloney leukemia virus 10, homolog (MOV10) is an IFN-inducible RNA helicase, associated with small RNA-induced silencing. In this article, we report that MOV10 exhibits antiviral activity, independent of its helicase function, against a number of positive- and negative-strand RNA viruses by enhancing type I IFN induction. Using a number of genome-edited knockout human cells, we show that IFN regulatory factor 3-mediated IFN induction and downstream IFN signaling through IFN receptor was necessary to inhibit virus replication by MOV10. MOV10 enhanced IFN regulatory factor 3-mediated transcription of IFN. However, this IFN induction by MOV10 was unique and independent of the known retinoic acid-inducible gene I/mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein-mediated RNA-sensing pathway. Upon virus infection, MOV10 specifically required inhibitor of κB kinase ε, not TANK-binding kinase 1, for its antiviral activity. The important role of MOV10 in mediating antiviral signaling was further supported by the finding that viral proteases from picornavirus family specifically targeted MOV10 as a possible innate immune evasion mechanism. These results establish MOV10, an evolutionary conserved protein involved in RNA silencing, as an antiviral gene against RNA viruses that uses an retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like receptor-independent pathway to enhance IFN response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolando A Cuevas
- Cancer Virology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; and
| | - Arundhati Ghosh
- Cancer Virology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; and
| | - Christina Wallerath
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
| | - Veit Hornung
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
| | - Carolyn B Coyne
- Cancer Virology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; and
| | - Saumendra N Sarkar
- Cancer Virology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; and
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38
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The Complexities and Unexpected Insights of Developmental Genetic Analysis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2016. [PMID: 26969986 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2015.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
The study of development involves many important techniques. Here I am trying to reflect on the strength of genetic analysis and its ability to uncover unexpected relationships and regulatory inputs from seemingly unrelated pathways.
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Tóth KF, Pezic D, Stuwe E, Webster A. The piRNA Pathway Guards the Germline Genome Against Transposable Elements. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 886:51-77. [PMID: 26659487 DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-7417-8_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) have the capacity to replicate and insert into new genomic locations. This contributs significantly to evolution of genomes, but can also result in DNA breaks and illegitimate recombination, and therefore poses a significant threat to genomic integrity. Excess damage to the germ cell genome results in sterility. A specific RNA silencing pathway, termed the piRNA pathway operates in germ cells of animals to control TE activity. At the core of the piRNA pathway is a ribonucleoprotein complex consisting of a small RNA, called piRNA, and a protein from the PIWI subfamily of Argonaute nucleases. The piRNA pathway relies on the specificity provided by the piRNA sequence to recognize complementary TE targets, while effector functions are provided by the PIWI protein. PIWI-piRNA complexes silence TEs both at the transcriptional level - by attracting repressive chromatin modifications to genomic targets - and at the posttranscriptional level - by cleaving TE transcripts in the cytoplasm. Impairment of the piRNA pathway leads to overexpression of TEs, significantly compromised genome structure and, invariably, germ cell death and sterility.The piRNA pathway is best understood in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and in mouse. This Chapter gives an overview of current knowledge on piRNA biogenesis, and mechanistic details of both transcriptional and posttranscriptional TE silencing by the piRNA pathway. It further focuses on the importance of post-translational modifications and subcellular localization of the piRNA machinery. Finally, it provides a brief description of analogous pathways in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Fejes Tóth
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
| | - Dubravka Pezic
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Evelyn Stuwe
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Alexandre Webster
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
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George P, Jensen S, Pogorelcnik R, Lee J, Xing Y, Brasset E, Vaury C, Sharakhov IV. Increased production of piRNAs from euchromatic clusters and genes in Anopheles gambiae compared with Drosophila melanogaster. Epigenetics Chromatin 2015; 8:50. [PMID: 26617674 PMCID: PMC4662822 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-015-0041-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Specific genomic loci, termed Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) clusters, manufacture piRNAs that serve as guides for the inactivation of complementary transposable elements (TEs). The piRNA pathway has been accurately detailed in Drosophila melanogaster, while it remains poorly examined in other insects. This pathway is increasingly recognized as critical for germline development and reproduction. Understanding of the piRNA functions in mosquitoes could offer an opportunity for disease vector control by the reduction of their reproductive potential. RESULTS To analyze the similarities and differences in this pathway between Drosophila and mosquito, we performed an in-depth analysis of the genomic loci producing piRNAs and their targets in the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. We identified 187 piRNA clusters in the An. gambiae genome and 155 piRNA clusters in the D. melanogaster genome. We demonstrate that many more piRNA clusters in the mosquito compared with the fruit fly are uni-directionally transcribed and are located outside pericentromeric heterochromatin. About 11 % of the An. gambiae piRNA population map to gene transcripts. This is a noticeable increase compared with the ~6 % of the piRNA population mapped to genes in D. melanogaster. A subset of the piRNA-enriched genes in An. gambiae has functions related to reproduction and development. At least 24 and 65 % of the mapped piRNAs correspond to genomic TE sequences in An. gambiae and D. melanogaster, respectively. DNA transposons and non-LTR retrotransposons are more abundant in An. gambiae, while LTR retrotransposons are more abundant in D. melanogaster. Yet, piRNAs predominantly target LTR retrotransposons in both species, which may point to a distinct feature of these elements compared to the other classes of TEs concerning their silencing by the piRNA pathway. CONCLUSIONS Here, we demonstrate that piRNA-producing loci have more ubiquitous distribution in the An. gambiae genome than in the genome of D. melanogaster. Also, protein-coding genes have an increased role in production of piRNAs in the germline of this mosquito. Genes involved in germline and embryonic development of An. gambiae generate a substantial portion of piRNAs, suggesting a role of the piRNA pathway in the epigenetic regulation of the reproductive processes in the African malaria vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip George
- />Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Silke Jensen
- />Laboratoire Génétique, Reproduction, et Développement, Clermont Université, Université d’Auvergne, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 1103, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6293, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Romain Pogorelcnik
- />Laboratoire Génétique, Reproduction, et Développement, Clermont Université, Université d’Auvergne, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 1103, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6293, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jiyoung Lee
- />The PhD Program in Genomics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Yi Xing
- />The PhD Program in Genomics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Emilie Brasset
- />Laboratoire Génétique, Reproduction, et Développement, Clermont Université, Université d’Auvergne, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 1103, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6293, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Chantal Vaury
- />Laboratoire Génétique, Reproduction, et Développement, Clermont Université, Université d’Auvergne, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 1103, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- />Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6293, BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Igor V. Sharakhov
- />Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
- />The PhD Program in Genomics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
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Wang W, Snyder N, Worth AJ, Blair IA, Witze ES. Regulation of lipid synthesis by the RNA helicase Mov10 controls Wnt5a production. Oncogenesis 2015; 4:e154. [PMID: 26029828 PMCID: PMC4753523 DOI: 10.1038/oncsis.2015.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of the Wnt ligand Wnt5a is frequently elevated in melanoma and is thought to be a critical regulator of cell movement during metastasis. However, the mechanisms regulating its expression are unknown. We find that the level of secreted Wnt5a varies by as much as 10-fold between cell lines and correlates more strongly with invasion than total cellular levels. Our results indicate that the RNA helicase Mov10 plays a role in Wnt5a synthesis and secretion. Inhibition of Mov10 increases secreted Wnt5a levels in melanoma cells by increasing Wnt5a synthesis and acylation. This is achieved by increasing fatty acid synthase (FASN) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase expression, leading to elevated levels of palmitoleoyl-CoA, required for Wnt ligand lipid modification and secretion. Melanoma tumors exhibit reduced expression of Mov10 compared with benign nevi and Mov10 levels inversely correlate with FASN levels in primary tumors. These results reveal a previously unappreciated role for aberrant lipid metabolism in regulating Wnt5a signaling that may be a critical step in melanoma progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Wang
- 1] Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [2] Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [3] Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - N Snyder
- 1] Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA, USA [2] Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [3] Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [4] AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - A J Worth
- 1] Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA, USA [2] Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [3] Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - I A Blair
- 1] Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA, USA [2] Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [3] Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - E S Witze
- 1] Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [2] Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [3] Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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42
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Bozzetti MP, Specchia V, Cattenoz PB, Laneve P, Geusa A, Sahin HB, Di Tommaso S, Friscini A, Massari S, Diebold C, Giangrande A. The Drosophila fragile X mental retardation protein participates in the piRNA pathway. J Cell Sci 2015; 128:2070-84. [PMID: 25908854 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.161810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA metabolism controls multiple biological processes, and a specific class of small RNAs, called piRNAs, act as genome guardians by silencing the expression of transposons and repetitive sequences in the gonads. Defects in the piRNA pathway affect genome integrity and fertility. The possible implications in physiopathological mechanisms of human diseases have made the piRNA pathway the object of intense investigation, and recent work suggests that there is a role for this pathway in somatic processes including synaptic plasticity. The RNA-binding fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP, also known as FMR1) controls translation and its loss triggers the most frequent syndromic form of mental retardation as well as gonadal defects in humans. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that germline, as well as somatic expression, of Drosophila Fmr1 (denoted dFmr1), the Drosophila ortholog of FMRP, are necessary in a pathway mediated by piRNAs. Moreover, dFmr1 interacts genetically and biochemically with Aubergine, an Argonaute protein and a key player in this pathway. Our data provide novel perspectives for understanding the phenotypes observed in Fragile X patients and support the view that piRNAs might be at work in the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pia Bozzetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Valeria Specchia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Pierre B Cattenoz
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Pietro Laneve
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Annamaria Geusa
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - H Bahar Sahin
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Silvia Di Tommaso
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Antonella Friscini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Serafina Massari
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Celine Diebold
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Angela Giangrande
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
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43
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Sato K, Siomi MC. Functional and structural insights into the piRNA factor Maelstrom. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:1688-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Takada S, Collins ER, Kurahashi K. The FHA domain determines Drosophila Chk2/Mnk localization to key mitotic structures and is essential for early embryonic DNA damage responses. Mol Biol Cell 2015; 26:1811-28. [PMID: 25808488 PMCID: PMC4436828 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e14-07-1238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA damage responses, including mitotic centrosome inactivation, cell-cycle delay in mitosis, and nuclear dropping from embryo cortex, maintain genome integrity in syncytial Drosophila embryos. A conserved signaling kinase, Chk2, known as Mnk/Loki, is essential for the responses. Here we demonstrate that functional EGFP-Mnk expressed from a transgene localizes to the nucleus, centrosomes, interkinetochore/centromere region, midbody, and pseudocleavage furrows without DNA damage and in addition forms numerous foci/aggregates on mitotic chromosomes upon DNA damage. We expressed EGFP-tagged Mnk deletion or point mutation variants and investigated domain functions of Mnk in vivo. A triple mutation in the phosphopeptide-binding site of the forkhead-associated (FHA) domain disrupted normal Mnk localization except to the nucleus. The mutation also disrupted Mnk foci formation on chromosomes upon DNA damage. FHA mutations and deletion of the SQ/TQ-cluster domain (SCD) abolished Mnk transphosphorylations and autophosphorylations, indicative of kinase activation after DNA damage. A potent NLS was found at the C-terminus, which is required for normal Mnk function. We propose that the FHA domain in Mnk plays essential dual functions in mediating embryonic DNA damage responses by means of its phosphopeptide-binding ability: activating Mnk in the nucleus upon DNA damage and recruiting Mnk to multiple subcellular structures independently of DNA damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeko Takada
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Eric R Collins
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Kayo Kurahashi
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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45
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Huang H, Li Y, Szulwach KE, Zhang G, Jin P, Chen D. AGO3 Slicer activity regulates mitochondria-nuage localization of Armitage and piRNA amplification. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 206:217-30. [PMID: 25049272 PMCID: PMC4107788 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201401002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The endonuclease AGO3 and mitochondria-associated protein Zucchini together control the dynamic subcellular localization of Armitage between mitochondria and germline granules to regulate secondary piRNA amplification. In Drosophila melanogaster the reciprocal “Ping-Pong” cycle of PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA)–directed RNA cleavage catalyzed by the endonuclease (or “Slicer”) activities of the PIWI proteins Aubergine (Aub) and Argonaute3 (AGO3) has been proposed to expand the secondary piRNA population. However, the role of AGO3/Aub Slicer activity in piRNA amplification remains to be explored. We show that AGO3 Slicer activity is essential for piRNA amplification and that AGO3 inhibits the homotypic Aub:Aub Ping-Pong process in a Slicer-independent manner. We also find that expression of an AGO3 Slicer mutant causes ectopic accumulation of Armitage, a key component in the primary piRNA pathway, in the Drosophila melanogaster germline granules known as nuage. AGO3 also coexists and interacts with Armitage in the mitochondrial fraction. Furthermore, AGO3 acts in conjunction with the mitochondria-associated protein Zucchini to control the dynamic subcellular localization of Armitage between mitochondria and nuage in a Slicer-dependent fashion. Collectively, our findings uncover a new mechanism that couples mitochondria with nuage to regulate secondary piRNA amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haidong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yujing Li
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Keith E Szulwach
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Guoqiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Peng Jin
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Dahua Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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46
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Wilczynska A, Bushell M. The complexity of miRNA-mediated repression. Cell Death Differ 2014; 22:22-33. [PMID: 25190144 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2014.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 322] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since their discovery 20 years ago, miRNAs have attracted much attention from all areas of biology. These short (∼22 nt) non-coding RNA molecules are highly conserved in evolution and are present in nearly all eukaryotes. They have critical roles in virtually every cellular process, particularly determination of cell fate in development and regulation of the cell cycle. Although it has long been known that miRNAs bind to mRNAs to trigger translational repression and degradation, there had been much debate regarding their precise mode of action. It is now believed that translational control is the primary event, only later followed by mRNA destabilisation. This review will discuss the most recent advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of miRNA-mediated repression. Moreover, we highlight the multitude of regulatory mechanisms that modulate miRNA function.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Wilczynska
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - M Bushell
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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47
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Zhang Z, Wang J, Schultz N, Zhang F, Parhad SS, Tu S, Vreven T, Zamore PD, Weng Z, Theurkauf WE. The HP1 homolog rhino anchors a nuclear complex that suppresses piRNA precursor splicing. Cell 2014; 157:1353-1363. [PMID: 24906152 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Revised: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
piRNAs guide an adaptive genome defense system that silences transposons during germline development. The Drosophila HP1 homolog Rhino is required for germline piRNA production. We show that Rhino binds specifically to the heterochromatic clusters that produce piRNA precursors, and that binding directly correlates with piRNA production. Rhino colocalizes to germline nuclear foci with Rai1/DXO-related protein Cuff and the DEAD box protein UAP56, which are also required for germline piRNA production. RNA sequencing indicates that most cluster transcripts are not spliced and that rhino, cuff, and uap56 mutations increase expression of spliced cluster transcripts over 100-fold. LacI::Rhino fusion protein binding suppresses splicing of a reporter transgene and is sufficient to trigger piRNA production from a trans combination of sense and antisense reporters. We therefore propose that Rhino anchors a nuclear complex that suppresses cluster transcript splicing and speculate that stalled splicing differentiates piRNA precursors from mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Zhang
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA; RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA
| | - Jie Wang
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA
| | - Nadine Schultz
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Fan Zhang
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Swapnil S Parhad
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Shikui Tu
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA
| | - Thom Vreven
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA; RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester MA 01605, USA.
| | - William E Theurkauf
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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48
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Murota Y, Ishizu H, Nakagawa S, Iwasaki Y, Shibata S, Kamatani M, Saito K, Okano H, Siomi H, Siomi M. Yb Integrates piRNA Intermediates and Processing Factors into Perinuclear Bodies to Enhance piRISC Assembly. Cell Rep 2014; 8:103-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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49
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Ku HY, Lin H. PIWI proteins and their interactors in piRNA biogenesis, germline development and gene expression. Natl Sci Rev 2014; 1:205-218. [PMID: 25512877 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwu014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a complex class of small non-coding RNAs that are mostly 24-32 nucleotides in length and composed of at least hundreds of thousands of species that specifically interact with the PIWI protein subfamily of the ARGONAUTE family. Recent studies revealed that PIWI proteins interact with a number of proteins, especially the TUDOR-domain-containing proteins, to regulate piRNA biogenesis and regulatory function. Current research also provides evidence that PIWI proteins and piRNAs are not only crucial for transposon silencing in the germline, but also mediate novel mechanisms of epigenetic programming, DNA rearrangements, mRNA turnover, and translational control both in the germline and in the soma. These new discoveries begin to reveal an exciting new dimension of gene regulation in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsueh-Yen Ku
- Yale Stem Cell Center and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Haifan Lin
- Yale Stem Cell Center and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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50
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Atikukke G, Albosta P, Zhang H, Finley RL. A role for Drosophila Cyclin J in oogenesis revealed by genetic interactions with the piRNA pathway. Mech Dev 2014; 133:64-76. [PMID: 24946235 DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2013] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cyclin J (CycJ) is a poorly characterized member of the Cyclin superfamily of cyclin-dependent kinase regulators, many of which regulate the cell cycle or transcription. Although CycJ is conserved in metazoans its cellular function has not been identified and no mutant defects have been described. In Drosophila, CycJ transcript is present primarily in ovaries and very early embryos, suggesting a role in one or both of these tissues. The CycJ gene (CycJ) lies immediately downstream of armitage (armi), a gene involved in the Piwi-associated RNA (piRNA) pathways that are required for silencing transposons in the germline and adjacent somatic cells. Mutations in armi result in oogenesis defects but a role for CycJ in oogenesis has not been defined. Here we assessed oogenesis in CycJ mutants in the presence or absence of mutations in armi or other piRNA pathway genes. CycJ null ovaries appeared normal, indicating that CycJ is not essential for oogenesis under normal conditions. In contrast, armi null ovaries produced only two egg chambers per ovariole and the eggs had severe axis specification defects, as observed previously for armi and other piRNA pathway mutants. Surprisingly, the CycJ armi double mutant failed to produce any mature eggs. The double null ovaries generally had only one egg chamber per ovariole and the egg chambers frequently contained an overabundance of differentiated germline cells. Production of these compound egg chambers could be suppressed with CycJ transgenes but not with mutations in the checkpoint gene mnk, which suppress oogenesis defects in armi mutants. The CycJ null showed similar genetic interactions with the germline and somatic piRNA pathway gene piwi, and to a lesser extent with aubergine (aub), a member of the germline-specific piRNA pathway. The strong genetic interactions between CycJ and piRNA pathway genes reveal a role for CycJ in early oogenesis. Our results suggest that CycJ is required to regulate egg chamber production or maturation when piRNA pathways are compromised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Govindaraja Atikukke
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
| | - Paul Albosta
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
| | - Huamei Zhang
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
| | - Russell L Finley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
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