Projects per year
Abstract
Small RNAs play a crucial role in genome defense against transposable elements and guide Argonaute proteins to nascent RNA transcripts to induce co-transcriptional gene silencing. However, the molecular basis of this process remains unknown. Here, we identify the conserved RNA helicase Aquarius/EMB-4 as a direct and essential link between small RNA pathways and the transcriptional machinery in Caenorhabditis elegans. Aquarius physically interacts with the germline Argonaute HRDE-1. Aquarius is required to initiate small-RNA-induced heritable gene silencing. HRDE-1 and Aquarius silence overlapping sets of genes and transposable elements. Surprisingly, removal of introns from a target gene abolishes the requirement for Aquarius, but not HRDE-1, for small RNA-dependent gene silencing. We conclude that Aquarius allows small RNA pathways to compete for access to nascent transcripts undergoing co-transcriptional splicing in order to detect and silence transposable elements. Thus, Aquarius and HRDE-1 act as gatekeepers coordinating gene expression and genome defense.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 241-255.e6 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Developmental Cell |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 7 Aug 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Aug 2017 |
Keywords
- C. elegans
- epigenetic inheritance
- nuclear RNAi
- piRNA
- Piwi
- RNA processing
- RNAi
- splicing
- transcription
- transposable elements
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental Biology
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Dive into the research topics of 'The Helicase Aquarius/EMB-4 Is Required to Overcome Intronic Barriers to Allow Nuclear RNAi Pathways to Heritably Silence Transcription'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Multidimensional Proteomic Analysis of Metabolic Stress & Cellular Phenotypes (Strategic Grant)
Cantrell, D. (Investigator) & Lamond, A. (Investigator)
1/01/15 → 31/12/19
Project: Research