Small RNA-based silencing strategies for transposons in the process of invading Drosophila species

Rozhkov, N. V., Aravin, A. A., Zelentsova, E. S., Schostak, N. G., Sachidanandam, R., McCombie, W. R., Hannon, G. J., Evgen'ev, M. B. (August 2010) Small RNA-based silencing strategies for transposons in the process of invading Drosophila species. RNA, 16 (8). pp. 1634-1645. ISSN 1355-8382

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Abstract

Colonization of a host by an active transposon can increase mutation rates or cause sterility, a phenotype termed hybrid dysgenesis. As an example, intercrosses of certain Drosophila virilis strains can produce dysgenic progeny. The Penelope element is present only in a subset of laboratory strains and has been implicated as a causative agent of the dysgenic phenotype. We have also introduced Penelope into Drosophila melanogaster, which are otherwise naive to the element. We have taken advantage of these natural and experimentally induced colonization processes to probe the evolution of small RNA pathways in response to transposon challenge. In both species, Penelope was predominantly targeted by endo-small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) rather than by piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Although we do observe correlations between Penelope transcription and dysgenesis, we could not correlate differences in maternally deposited Penelope piRNAs with the sterility of progeny. Instead, we found that strains that produced dysgenic progeny differed in their production of piRNAs from clusters in subtelomeric regions, possibly indicating that changes in the overall piRNA repertoire underlie dysgenesis. Considered together, our data reveal unexpected plasticity in small RNA pathways in germ cells, both in the character of their responses to invading transposons and in the piRNA clusters that define their ability to respond to mobile elements.

Item Type:	Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Drosophila virilis piRNA siRNA transposon DIRECTED DNA METHYLATION SMALL INTERFERING RNAS HYBRID DYSGENESIS INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION MOBILE ELEMENTS SOMATIC-CELLS VIRILIS MELANOGASTER GERMLINE PIWI
Subjects:	bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA methylation organism description > animal > insect > Drosophila bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > piRNA bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > siRNA bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > transposons
CSHL Authors:	Aravin, Alexei A. Hannon, Gregory J. McCombie, W. Richard Rozhkov, Nikolai, V.
Communities:	CSHL labs > Hannon lab CSHL labs > McCombie lab CSHL Post Doctoral Fellows
Depositing User:	CSHL Librarian
Date:	August 2010
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2011 15:00
Last Modified:	03 May 2013 14:12
PMCID:	PMC2905761
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/15516

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