A role for transcription from a piRNA cluster in de novo piRNA production

• DOI: 10.1261/rna.029777.111
• Publication Date: 2011-12-23T04:44:51Z
• Authors: Shinpei Kawaoka; Hiroshi Mitsutake; Takashi Kiuchi; Maki Kobayashi; Mayu Yoshikawa; Yutaka Suzuki; Sumio Sugano; Toru Shimada; Jun Kobayashi; Yukihide Tomari; Susumu Katsuma
• Keywords: Piwi-interacting RNA; Transcription

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are at the heart of nucleic acid-based adaptive immune system against transposons in animal gonads. To date, how piRNA pathway senses an element as a substrate and de novo production is initiated remain elusive. Here, by utilizing GFP transgene, we screened obtained clonal silkworm BmN4 cell lines producing massively amplified GFP-derived piRNAs capable silencing trans. In multiple independent where expression was silenced pathway, detected common transcript from endogenous cluster, which part cluster uniquely fused with antisense sequence. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that fusion source primary piRNAs. Our data implicate role for transcription initiating new insertion.