Trapping a somatic endogenous retrovirus into a germline piRNA cluster immunizes the germline against further invasion.

ABSTRACT:

Background

For species survival, the germline must faithfully transmit genetic information to the progeny. Transposable elements (TEs) constitute a significant threat to genome stability due to their mobility. In the metazoan germline, their mobilization is limited by a class of small RNAs called PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) produced by dedicated genomic loci called piRNA clusters. Although the piRNA pathway is an adaptive genomic immunity system, it remains unclear how the germline gains protection from a new transposon invasion.

Results

To address this question, we analyze Drosophila melanogaster lines harboring a deletion within flamenco, a major piRNA cluster specifically expressed in somatic follicular cells. This deletion leads to derepression of the retrotransposon

SUBMITTER: Duc C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6587276 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature