Aedes aegypti Piwi4 Structural Features Are Necessary for RNA Binding and Nuclear Localization.

ABSTRACT: The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway provides an RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism known from Drosophila studies to maintain the integrity of the germline genome by silencing transposable elements (TE). Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are the key vectors of several arthropod-borne viruses, exhibit an expanded repertoire of Piwi proteins involved in the piRNA pathway, suggesting functional divergence. Here, we investigate RNA-binding dynamics and subcellular localization of A. aegypti Piwi4 (AePiwi4), a Piwi protein involved in antiviral immunity and embryonic development, to better understand its function. We found that AePiwi4 PAZ (Piwi/Argonaute/Zwille), the domain that binds the 3' ends of piRNAs, bound to mature (3' 2' O-methylated) and unmethylated RNAs with s

SUBMITTER: Williams AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8657434 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature