Inhibition of RNA Interference and Modulation of Transposable Element Expression by Cell Death in Drosophila

Xie, W. W., Liang, C. Z., Birchler, J. A. (August 2011) Inhibition of RNA Interference and Modulation of Transposable Element Expression by Cell Death in Drosophila. Genetics, 188 (4). pp. 823-834. ISSN 0016-6731

Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) regulates gene expression by sequence-specific destruction of RNA. It acts as a defense mechanism against viruses and represses the expression of transposable elements (TEs) and some endogenous genes. We report that mutations and transgene constructs that condition cell death suppress RNA interference in adjacent cells in Drosophila melanogaster. The reversal of RNAi is effective for both the white (w) eye color gene and green fluorescent protein (GFP), indicating the generality of the inhibition. Antiapoptotic transgenes that reverse cell death will also reverse the inhibition of RNAi. Using GFP and a low level of cell death produced by a heat shock-head involution defective (hs-hid) transgene, the inhibition appears to occur by blocking the conversion of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to short interfering RNA (siRNA). We also demonstrate that the mus308 gene and endogenous transposable elements, which are both regularly silenced by RNAi, are increased in expression and accompanied by a reduced level of siRNA, when cell death occurs. The finding that chronic ectopic cell death affects RNAi is critical for an understanding of the application of the technique in basic and applied studies. These results also suggest that developmental perturbations, disease states, or environmental insults that cause ectopic cell death would alter transposon and gene expression patterns in the organism by the inhibition of small RNA silencing processes.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: gene-expression compensatory proliferation endogenous sirnas adult drosophila eye development somatic-cells mouse oocytes melanogaster apoptosis pathways
Subjects: bioinformatics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA expression
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification
organism description > animal > insect > Drosophila
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > RNAi
organism description > animal
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA expression > transposable elements
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Ware lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: August 2011
Date Deposited: 06 Feb 2013 20:39
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2013 20:39
PMCID: PMC3176087
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/27155

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