Two-factor authentication underpins the precision of the piRNA pathway.

ABSTRACT: The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway guides the DNA methylation of young, active transposons during germline development in male mice¹. piRNAs tether the PIWI protein MIWI2 (PIWIL4) to the nascent transposon transcript, resulting in DNA methylation through SPOCD1 (refs. ^2-5). Transposon methylation requires great precision: every copy needs to be methylated but off-target methylation must be avoided. However, the underlying mechanisms that ensure this precision remain unknown. Here, we show that SPOCD1 interacts directly with SPIN1 (SPINDLIN1), a chromatin reader that primarily binds to H3K4me3-K9me3 (ref. ⁶). The prevailing assumption is that all the molecular events required for piRNA-directed DNA methylation occur after the engagement of MIWI2. We fi

SUBMITTER: Dias Mirandela M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11499256 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature