Modeling early germline immunization after horizontal transfer of transposable elements reveals internal piRNA cluster heterogeneity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A fraction of all genomes is composed of transposable elements (TEs) whose mobility needs to be carefully controlled. In gonads, TE activity is repressed by PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of small RNAs synthesized by heterochromatic loci enriched in TE fragments, called piRNA clusters. Maintenance of active piRNA clusters across generations is secured by maternal piRNA inheritance providing the memory for TE repression. On rare occasions, genomes encounter horizontal transfer (HT) of new TEs with no piRNA targeting them, threatening the host genome integrity. Naïve genomes can eventually start to produce new piRNAs against these genomic invaders, but the timing of their emergence remains elusive.

Results

Using a set of TE-derived transgenes inserted in di

SUBMITTER: Asif-Laidin A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10210503 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature