RG motifs promote piRNA-mediated gene silencing in C. elegans.

ABSTRACT: Argonaute proteins are essential components of RNA silencing pathways, and their N-terminal extensions, particularly in the PIWI clade, often harbor conserved RG motifs. Despite their prevalence, the function of these motifs remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the RG motifs in the N-terminal region of Caenorhabditis elegans PRG-1, a PIWI clade Argonaute. Sequence alignment across Caenorhabditis species reveals three conserved RG motifs, which we confirm to be methylated by mass spectrometry. The region surrounding these motifs is intrinsically disordered, as predicted by disorder algorithms and structural modeling. While the RG motifs are critical for fertility, germline morphology, and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silencing, they are not required for PRG-1 expressio

SUBMITTER: Wallis DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12714567 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature