Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
Nat Cell Biol. 2021 Sep;23(9):992-1001. doi: 10.1038/s41556-021-00746-2. Epub 2021 Sep 6.
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) support the germline by suppressing retrotransposons. Studies of the pathway in mice have strongly shaped the view that mammalian piRNAs are essential for male but not for female fertility. Here, we report that the role of the piRNA pathway substantially differs in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), the piRNA pathway setup of which more closely resembles that of other mammals, including humans. The loss of the Mov10l1 RNA helicase-an essential piRNA biogenesis factor-leads to striking phenotypes in both sexes. In contrast to mice, female Mov10l1 hamsters are sterile because their oocytes do not sustain zygotic development. Furthermore, Mov10l1 male hamsters have impaired establishment of spermatogonia accompanied by transcriptome dysregulation and an expression surge of a young retrotransposon subfamily. Our results show that the mammalian piRNA pathway has essential roles in both sexes and its adaptive nature allows it to manage emerging genomic threats and acquire new critical roles in the germline.
PIWI 相互作用 RNA(piRNA)通过抑制逆转录转座子来支持生殖细胞。对小鼠途径的研究强烈表明,哺乳动物 piRNA 对于雄性但不是雌性的生育能力是必不可少的。在这里,我们报告说,piRNA 途径在金黄仓鼠(Mesocricetus auratus)中的作用有很大的不同,其 piRNA 途径的设置更类似于其他哺乳动物,包括人类。Mov10l1 RNA 解旋酶 - 一种必不可少的 piRNA 生物发生因子的缺失会导致两性出现明显的表型。与小鼠不同,雌性 Mov10l1 仓鼠是不育的,因为它们的卵子不能维持胚胎发育。此外,Mov10l1 雄性仓鼠的精原细胞建立受到损害,伴随着转录组失调和年轻的逆转录转座子亚家族的表达激增。我们的结果表明,哺乳动物 piRNA 途径在两性中都具有重要作用,其适应性使其能够应对新兴的基因组威胁,并在生殖细胞中获得新的关键作用。