Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Genes Dev. 2010 May;24(9):887-92. doi: 10.1101/gad.1902110.
VASA is an evolutionarily conserved RNA helicase essential for germ cell development. The mouse PIWI family proteins MILI and MIWI2 are involved in production of Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in fetal male germ cells through a ping-pong amplification cycle. Expression of retrotransposons is elevated in MILI- and MIWI2-deficient male germ cells due to defective de novo DNA methylation, which is presumably caused by impaired piRNA expression. Here, we report that essentially the same abnormalities are observed in MVH (mouse VASA homolog)-deficient mice. Comprehensive analysis of piRNAs in MVH-deficient fetal male germ cells showed that MVH plays crucial roles in the early phase of the ping-pong amplification cycle.
VASA 是一种进化上保守的 RNA 解旋酶，对生殖细胞的发育至关重要。小鼠的 PIWI 家族蛋白 MILI 和 MIWI2 通过乒乓扩增循环参与胎儿雄性生殖细胞中 Piwi 相互作用 RNA（piRNA）的产生。由于从头 DNA 甲基化缺陷，MILI 和 MIWI2 缺陷的雄性生殖细胞中转座子的表达升高，这可能是由于 piRNA 表达受损所致。在这里，我们报告在 MVH（小鼠 VASA 同源物）缺陷型小鼠中观察到几乎相同的异常。对 MVH 缺陷型胎儿雄性生殖细胞中的 piRNA 进行综合分析表明，MVH 在乒乓扩增循环的早期阶段发挥关键作用。
