Grivna Shane T, Beyret Ergin, Wang Zhong, Lin Haifan
Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Genes Dev. 2006 Jul 1;20(13):1709-14. doi: 10.1101/gad.1434406. Epub 2006 Jun 9.
Small noncoding RNAs, including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and micro RNAs (miRNAs) of approximately 21 nucleotides (nt) in length, have emerged as potent regulators of gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in diverse organisms. Here we report the identification of a novel class of small RNAs in the mouse male germline termed piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). piRNAs are approximately 30 nt in length. They are expressed during spermatogenesis, mostly in spermatids. piRNAs are associated with MIWI, a spermatogenesis-specific PIWI subfamily member of the Argonaute protein family, and depend on MIWI for their biogenesis and/or stability. Furthermore, a subpopulation of piRNAs are associated with polysomes, suggesting their potential role in translational regulation.
小非编码RNA,包括长度约为21个核苷酸(nt)的小干扰RNA(siRNA)和微小RNA(miRNA),已成为多种生物体转录和转录后水平上基因表达的有效调节因子。在此,我们报告在小鼠雄性生殖系中鉴定出一类新型小RNA,称为Piwi相互作用RNA(piRNA)。piRNA长度约为30 nt。它们在精子发生过程中表达,主要在精子细胞中表达。piRNA与MIWI相关,MIWI是Argonaute蛋白家族中精子发生特异性的PIWI亚家族成员,其生物合成和/或稳定性依赖于MIWI。此外,一部分piRNA与多核糖体相关,表明它们在翻译调控中具有潜在作用。