Distinct argonaute-mediated 22G-RNA pathways direct genome surveillance in the C. elegans germline.
Mol Cell, 2009/10/23;36(2):231-44.
Gu W[1], Shirayama M, Conte D Jr, Vasale J, Batista PJ, Claycomb JM, Moresco JJ, Youngman EM, Keys J, Stoltz MJ, Chen CC, Chaves DA, Duan S, Kasschau KD, Fahlgren N, Yates JR 3rd, Mitani S, Carrington JC, Mello CC
Affiliations
PMID: 19800275DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2009.09.020
Impact factor: 19.328
Abstract
Endogenous small RNAs (endo-siRNAs) interact with Argonaute (AGO) proteins to mediate sequence-specific regulation of diverse biological processes. Here, we combine deep-sequencing and genetic approaches to explore the biogenesis and function of endo-siRNAs in C. elegans. We describe conditional alleles of the Dicer-related helicase, drh-3, that abrogate both RNA interference and the biogenesis of endo-siRNAs, called 22G-RNAs. DRH-3 is a core component of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) complexes essential for several distinct 22G-RNA systems. We show that, in the germline, one system is dependent on worm-specific AGOs, including WAGO-1, which localizes to germline nuage structures called P granules. WAGO-1 silences certain genes, transposons, pseudogenes, and cryptic loci. Finally, we demonstrate that components of the nonsense-mediated decay pathway function in at least one WAGO-mediated surveillance pathway. These findings broaden our understanding of the biogenesis and diversity of 22G-RNAs and suggest additional regulatory functions for small RNAs.
MeSH terms
Alleles; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Genome; Germ Cells; Models, Genetic; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Protein Binding; Protein Structure, Tertiary; RNA Interference; RNA, Helminth; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Small Interfering; RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Temperature
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