PiRNA-mediated nuclear accumulation of retrotransposon transcripts in the Drosophila female germline.

ABSTRACT: Germline silencing of transposable elements is essential for the maintenance of genome integrity. Recent results indicate that this repression is largely achieved through a RNA silencing pathway that involves Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). However the repressive mechanisms are not well understood. To address this question, we used the possibility to disrupt the repression of the Drosophila I element retrotransposon by hybrid dysgenesis. We show here that the repression of the functional I elements that are located in euchromatin requires proteins of the piRNA pathway, and that the amount of ovarian I element piRNAs correlates with the strength of the repression in the female germline. Antisense RNAs, which are likely used to produce antisense piRNAs, are transcribed by heterochromatic def

SUBMITTER: Chambeyron S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2567476 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature