Department of Genetics, Center for Developmental Biology, College of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Genetics. 2010 Dec;186(4):1175-85. doi: 10.1534/genetics.110.122234. Epub 2010 Sep 13.
Piwi proteins and their partner small RNAs play an essential role in fertility, germ-line stem cell development, and the basic control and evolution of animal genomes. However, little knowledge exists regarding piRNA biogenesis. Utilizing microfluidic chip analysis, we present a quantitative profile of zebrafish piRNAs expressed differentially between testis and ovary. The sex-specific piRNAs are derived from separate loci of repeat elements in the genome. Ovarian piRNAs can be categorized into groups that reach up to 92 members, indicating a sex-specific arrangement of piRNA genes in the genome. Furthermore, precursor piRNAs preferentially form a hairpin structure at the 3'end, which seem to favor the generation of mature sex-specific piRNAs. In addition, the mature piRNAs from both the testis and the ovary are 2'-O-methylated at their 3' ends.
Piwi 蛋白及其伙伴小 RNA 在生育、生殖干细胞发育以及动物基因组的基本调控和进化中发挥着重要作用。然而,对于 piRNA 的生物发生机制知之甚少。利用微流控芯片分析,我们呈现了斑马鱼睾丸和卵巢中差异表达的 piRNA 的定量图谱。这些性别特异性 piRNA 来源于基因组中重复元件的不同位点。卵巢 piRNA 可以分为多达 92 个成员的组,表明基因组中 piRNA 基因的性别特异性排列。此外,前体 piRNA 在 3'端优先形成发夹结构,这似乎有利于成熟的性别特异性 piRNA 的产生。此外,来自睾丸和卵巢的成熟 piRNA 在 3'端都被 2'-O-甲基化。