Gene silencing mechanisms mediated by Aubergine–piRNA complexes in Drosophila male gonad

• DOI: 10.1261/rna.744307
• Publication Date: 2007-09-14T02:05:09Z
• Authors: Kazumichi M. Nishida; Kuniaki Saito; Tomoko Mori; Yoshinori Kawamura; Tomoko Nagami-Okada; Sachi Inagaki; Haruhiko Siomi; Mikiko C. Siomi
• Keywords: Piwi-interacting RNA; Retrotransposon; Argonaute

Genetic studies have shown that Aubergine (Aub), one of the Piwi subfamily Argonautes in Drosophila, is essential for germ cell formation and maintaining fertility. aub mutations lead to accumulation retrotransposons ovaries testes, Stellate transcripts testes. Aub associates with a variety Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) derived from repetitive intergenic elements including retrotransposons. Here we found testes also various kinds piRNAs. Although Aub-associated piRNA populations are quite diverse, piRNAs show strong bias. The most abundant were those corresponding antisense Suppressor [Su(Ste)] genes known be involved gene silencing. second class was made up chromosome X showed complementarity vasa transcripts. Immunopurified Aub-piRNA complexes displayed activity cleaving target RNA containing sequences complementary These results provide first biochemical insights into silencing mechanisms mediated by fly