Analysis of piRNA-mediated silencing of active TEs in Drosophila melanogaster suggests limits on the evolution of host genome defense.

ABSTRACT: The Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway defends animal genomes against the harmful consequences of transposable element (TE) infection by imposing small-RNA-mediated silencing. Because silencing is targeted by TE-derived piRNAs, piRNA production is posited to be central to the evolution of genome defense. We harnessed genomic data sets from Drosophila melanogaster, including genome-wide measures of piRNA, mRNA, and genomic abundance, along with estimates of age structure and risk of ectopic recombination, to address fundamental questions about the functional and evolutionary relationships between TE families and their regulatory piRNAs. We demonstrate that mRNA transcript abundance, robustness of "ping-pong" amplification, and representation in piRNA clusters together explain the majority

SUBMITTER: Kelleher ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3708497 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature