A Sex Chromosome piRNA Promotes Robust Dosage Compensation and Sex Determination in C. elegans.
Dev Cell, 2018/03/26;44(6):762-770.e3.
Tang W[1], Seth M[1], Tu S[2], Shen EZ[1], Li Q[1], Shirayama M[3], Weng Z[2], Mello CC[4]
Affiliations
PMID: 29456136DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.01.025
Impact factor: 13.417
Abstract
In metazoans, Piwi-related Argonaute proteins engage piRNAs (Piwi-interacting small RNAs) to defend the genome against invasive nucleic acids, such as transposable elements. Yet many organisms-including worms and humans-express thousands of piRNAs that do not target transposons, suggesting that piRNA function extends beyond genome defense. Here, we show that the X chromosome-derived piRNA 21ux-1 downregulates XOL-1 (XO Lethal), a master regulator of X chromosome dosage compensation and sex determination in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations in 21ux-1 and several Piwi-pathway components sensitize hermaphrodites to dosage compensation and sex determination defects. We show that the piRNA pathway also targets xol-1 in C. briggsae, a nematode species related to C. elegans. Our findings reveal physiologically important piRNA-mRNA interactions, raising the possibility that piRNAs function broadly to ensure robust gene expression and germline development.
Keywords: Caenorhabditis briggsae; Caenorhabditis elegans; dosage compensation; piRNAs; sex determination; small RNAs
MeSH terms
Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Dosage Compensation, Genetic; Gene Expression Regulation; Phenotype; RNA, Small Interfering; Sex Chromosomes; Sex Determination Analysis
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