Project description:PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silence transposons to maintain germline genome integrity in animal gonad. Most of piRNAs arise from piRNA clusters. In Drosophila, a Heterochromatin protein family member Rhino defines the germline piRNA clusters, so-called dual-strand clusters, and elicits the transcription. However, how the clusters are transcribed is largely unknown. Here, we characterized CG13741/Bootlegger (Boot) as an essential nuclear piRNA factor for piRNA production from the dual-strand clusters. Herein Boot is referred as Egret (Egt). Boot is indispensable for suppressing the splicing of the precursors through regulating Cuff function and furthermore for the recruitment of an RNA export factor Hel25E/UAP56 to the transcription sites in the nucleus. Our findings indicate that Boot acts in the transcription and the export of the precursors from dual-strand piRNA clusters.
Project description:We performed RNAseq on l(3)mbt mutant somatic ovaries to gain a genome-wide view of tissue-specific gene expression changes in L(3)mbt-depleted somatic ovaries.
Project description:H3K27me3 profiles using Cleavage under targets and Release using nuclease (Cut&Run) in control and KD Drosophila melanogaster ovaries. We examined the impact on chromatin profiles in Drosophila melanogaster ovaries in which the lid, the Sin3a, the Snr1 or the mod(mdg4) gene have been selectively knocked down by tissue-specific shRNA expression. We additionally explored H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 in control and dhd mutant ovaries either carrying or not a transgene.