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Cited by 232Chromosomal and Genetic VariationsEpigenetics and DNA MethylationGenomics and Chromatin Dynamics

Drosophila Piwi functions downstream of piRNA production mediating a chromatin-based transposon silencing mechanism in female germ line

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Wang, Sidney H., Elgin, Sarah C. R.·2011·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1107892109PMC PMC3248523
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Abstract

Transposon control is a critical process during reproduction. The PIWI family proteins can play a key role, using a piRNA-mediated slicing mechanism to suppress transposon activity posttranscriptionally. In Drosophila melanogaster , Piwi is predominantly localized in the nucleus and has been implicated in heterochromatin formation. Here, we use female germ-line–specific depletion to study Piwi function. This depletion of Piwi leads to infertility and to axis specification defects in the developing egg chambers; correspondingly, widespread loss of transposon silencing is observed. Germ-line Piwi does not appear to be required for piRNA production. Instead, Piwi requires Aubergine (and presumably secondary piRNA) for proper localization. A subset of transposons that show significant overexpression in germ-line Piwi-depleted ovaries exhibit a corresponding loss of HP1a and H3K9me2. Germ-line HP1a depletion also leads to a loss of transposon silencing, demonstrating the functional requirement for HP1a enrichment at these loci. Considering our results and those of others, we infer that germ-line Piwi functions downstream of piRNA production to promote silencing of some transposons via recruitment of HP1a. Thus, in addition to its better-known function in posttranscriptional silencing, piRNA also appears to function in a targeting mechanism for heterochromatin formation mediated by Piwi.

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  • Piwi and piRNAs are most abundant in the germline, where they play a key role in retrotransposon silencing at the RNA and chromatin levels.

    “Piwi and piRNAs are most abundant in the germline, where they play a key role in retrotransposon silencing at the RNA and chromatin levels”

    From The Role of Retrotransposons and Endogenous Retroviruses in Age-Dependent Neurodegenerative Disorders (2024) · cites this paper as Wang & Elgin 2011

    The Abstract describes piRNA-mediated posttranscriptional transposon silencing, and the Discussion reports evidence for a chromatin-based mechanism involving germ-line Piwi. However, the paper does not establish that Piwi and piRNAs are most abundant in the germ line; the Abstract also describes Piwi and piRNA pathways in the ovarian soma. Its findings concern transposons, without establishing that both mechanisms apply specifically to retrotransposons. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wang, S. H., & Elgin, S. C. R.
Affiliations
Washington University in St. Louis (US)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2011-12-12
Volume
108
Issue
52
Pages
21164-21169
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1107892109
PMC
PMC3248523
OpenAlex
W2034161629
Cited by
232
References
2
Citations by year
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FWCI
27.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Open Scholarship Institutional Repository (Washington University in St. Louis) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM073190, R01GM068388, GM068388, GM073190)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
Keywords
Piwi, piRNA, transposon silencing, female germline, heterochromatin formation, HP1α, H3K9me2, eggplant, infertility, Drosophila melanogaster
MeSH terms
Chromobox Protein Homolog 5, Animals, Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone, DNA Transposable Elements, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Germ Cells, Heterochromatin, Blotting, Northern, Blotting, Western, DNA Primers, Microscopy, Confocal, Drosophila Proteins, RNA Interference, RNA, Small Interfering, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, Argonaute Proteins, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

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