RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Modulation of Aub–TDRD interactions elucidates piRNA amplification and germplasm formation
JF Life Science Alliance
JO Life Sci. Alliance
FD Life Science Alliance LLC
SP e202000912
DO 10.26508/lsa.202000912
VO 4
IS 3
A1 Nicholas Vrettos
A1 Manolis Maragkakis
A1 Panagiotis Alexiou
A1 Paraskevi Sgourdou
A1 Fadia Ibrahim
A1 Daniel Palmieri
A1 Yohei Kirino
A1 Zissimos Mourelatos
YR 2021
UL https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/4/3/e202000912.abstract
AB Aub guided by piRNAs ensures genome integrity by cleaving retrotransposons, and genome propagation by trapping mRNAs to form the germplasm that instructs germ cell formation. Arginines at the N-terminus of Aub (Aub–NTRs) interact with Tudor and other Tudor domain–containing proteins (TDRDs). Aub–TDRD interactions suppress active retrotransposons via piRNA amplification and form germplasm via generation of Aub–Tudor ribonucleoproteins. Here, we show that Aub–NTRs are dispensable for primary piRNA biogenesis but essential for piRNA amplification and that their symmetric dimethylation is required for germplasm formation and germ cell specification but largely redundant for piRNA amplification.