Dataset Information

MORC1 represses transposable elements in the mouse male germline.

ABSTRACT: The Microrchidia (Morc) family of GHKL ATPases are present in a wide variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms but are of largely unknown function. Genetic screens in Arabidopsis thaliana have identified Morc genes as important repressors of transposons and other DNA-methylated and silent genes. MORC1-deficient mice were previously found to display male-specific germ cell loss and infertility. Here we show that MORC1 is responsible for transposon repression in the male germline in a pattern that is similar to that observed for germ cells deficient for the DNA methyltransferase homologue DNMT3L. Morc1 mutants show highly localized defects in the establishment of DNA methylation at specific classes of transposons, and this is associated with failed transposon silencing at these sites. Our results identify MORC1 as an important new regulator of the epigenetic landscape of male germ cells during the period of global de novo methylation.

SUBMITTER: Pastor WA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4268658 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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MORC1 represses transposable elements in the mouse male germline.

Pastor William A WA Stroud Hume H Nee Kevin K Liu Wanlu W Pezic Dubravka D Manakov Sergei S Lee Serena A SA Moissiard Guillaume G Zamudio Natasha N Bourc'his Déborah D Aravin Alexei A AA Clark Amander T AT Jacobsen Steven E SE

Nature communications 20141212

The Microrchidia (Morc) family of GHKL ATPases are present in a wide variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms but are of largely unknown function. Genetic screens in Arabidopsis thaliana have identified Morc genes as important repressors of transposons and other DNA-methylated and silent genes. MORC1-deficient mice were previously found to display male-specific germ cell loss and infertility. Here we show that MORC1 is responsible for transposon repression in the male germline in a patter ...[more]

PMID: 25503965

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Project description:BackgroundA 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.ResultsUsing a set of TE-derived transgenes inserted in different germline piRNA clusters and functional assays, we have modeled a TE HT in Drosophila melanogaster. We have found that the complete co-option of these transgenes by a germline piRNA cluster can occur within four generations associated with the production of new piRNAs all along the transgenes and the germline silencing of piRNA sensors. Synthesis of new transgenic TE piRNAs is linked to piRNA cluster transcription dependent on Moonshiner and heterochromatin mark deposition that propagates more efficiently on short sequences. Moreover, we found that sequences located within piRNA clusters can have different piRNA profiles and can influence transcript accumulation of nearby sequences.ConclusionsOur study reveals that genetic and epigenetic properties, such as transcription, piRNA profiles, heterochromatin, and conversion efficiency along piRNA clusters, could be heterogeneous depending on the sequences that compose them. These findings suggest that the capacity of transcriptional signal erasure induced by the chromatin complex specific of the piRNA cluster can be incomplete through the piRNA cluster loci. Finally, these results have revealed an unexpected level of complexity that highlights a new magnitude of piRNA cluster plasticity fundamental for the maintenance of genome integrity.

Dataset Information

MORC1 represses transposable elements in the mouse male germline.

Publications

MORC1 represses transposable elements in the mouse male germline.

Similar Datasets

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