Project name: Drosophila melanogaster

Description: In plants and mammals, small RNAs indirectly mediate epigenetic inheritance by specifying cytosine methylation. Here, we find that small RNAs themselves serve as vectors for epigenetic information. Crosses between Drosophila strains that differ in the presence of a particular transposon can produce sterile progeny, a phenomenon called hybrid dysgenesis. This phenotype manifests itself only if the transposon is paternally inherited, suggesting maternal transmission of a factor that maintains fertility. In both P- and I-element-mediated hybrid-dysgenesis models, daughters show a markedly different content of piRNAs targeting each element, depending upon its parent of origin. Such differences persist from fertilization through adulthood. This indicates that maternally deposited piRNAs are crucial for mounting an effective silencing response and that a lack of maternal piRNA inheritance underlies hybrid dysgenesis.Mappers table contains all of the sequences in our libraries that map to the drosophila genome (release 5)Nonmappers table contains all of the sequences in our libraries that do not map to the drosophila genome(release 5)Overall design: 15 small RNA libraries were generated from total RNA of Drosophila melanogaster ovarian and embryo tissues and analyzed for this study

Data type: Transcriptome or Gene expression

Sample scope: Multiisolate

Relevance: ModelOrganism

Release date: 2008-11-28

Last updated: 2008-10-07