The Yb Body, a Major Site for Piwi-associated RNA Biogenesis and a Gateway for Piwi Expression and Transport to the Nucleus in Somatic Cells

ABSTRACT: Despite exciting progress in understanding the Piwi-associ-ated RNA (piRNA) pathway in the germ line, less is known about this pathway in somatic cells. We showed previously that Piwi, a key component of the piRNA pathway in Drosophila, is regulated in somatic cells by Yb, a novel protein containing an RNA helicase-like motif and a Tudor-like domain. Yb is specifically expressed in gonadal somatic cells and regulates piwi in somatic niche cells to control germ line and somatic stem cell self-renewal. However, the molecular basis of the regulation remains elusive. Here, we report that Yb recruits Armitage (Armi), a putative RNA helicase involved in the piRNA pathway, to the Yb body, a cytoplasmic sphere to which Yb is exclusively localized. Moreover, co-immunoprecipitation experiments show

ORGANISM(S): Drosophila melanogaster

SUBMITTER: Na Liu 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-26407 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress