Department of Genetics; Yale University; New Haven, CT USA.
Epigenetics. 2014 Jan;9(1):62-74. doi: 10.4161/epi.26647. Epub 2013 Oct 22.
While most eukaryotic genomes contain transposable elements that can provide select evolutionary advantages to a given organism, failure to tightly control the mobility of such transposable elements can result in compromised genomic integrity of both parental and subsequent generations. Together with the Piwi subfamily of Argonaute proteins, small, non-coding Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) primarily function in the germ line to defend the genome against the potentially deleterious effects that can be caused by transposition. Here, we describe recent discoveries concerning the biogenesis and function of piRNAs in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, illuminating how the faithful production of these mature species can impart a robust defense mechanism for the germ line to counteract problems caused by foreign genetic elements across successive generations by contributing to the epigenetic memory of non-self vs. self.
虽然大多数真核生物基因组中都含有转座元件，这些元件可以为特定生物体提供选择进化优势，但如果不能严格控制这些转座元件的移动性，就会导致亲代和后代基因组完整性受到损害。与 Argonaute 蛋白的 Piwi 亚家族一起，小的非编码 Piwi 相互作用 RNA（piRNA）主要在生殖系中发挥作用，抵御转座可能造成的潜在有害影响。在这里，我们描述了线虫秀丽隐杆线虫中 piRNA 的生物发生和功能的最新发现，阐明了这些成熟物种的准确产生如何通过贡献非自我与自我的表观遗传记忆，为生殖系提供强大的防御机制，以应对跨代的外来遗传元件所导致的问题。
