The piRNA pathway is developmentally regulated during spermatogenesis in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are predominantly produced in animal gonads to suppress transposons during germline development. Our understanding about the piRNA biogenesis and function is predominantly from studies of the Drosophila female germline. piRNA pathway function in the male germline, however, remains poorly understood. To study overall and stage-specific features of piRNAs during spermatogenesis, we analyzed small RNAs extracted from entire wild-type testes and stage-specific arrest mutant testes enriched with spermatogonia or primary spermatocytes. We show that most active piRNA clusters in the female germline do not majorly contribute to piRNAs in testes, and abundance patterns of piRNAs mapping to different transposon families also differ between male and female germlines. pi

SUBMITTER: Quenerch'du E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4911912 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature