Center for RNA Biology: From Genome to Therapeutics, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Nat Commun. 2021 Oct 13;12(1):5970. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26233-8.
PIWI-interacting small RNAs (piRNAs) protect the germline genome and are essential for fertility. piRNAs originate from transposable element (TE) RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, or 3´ untranslated regions (3´UTRs) of protein-coding messenger genes, with the last being the least characterized of the three piRNA classes. Here, we demonstrate that the precursors of 3´UTR piRNAs are full-length mRNAs and that post-termination 80S ribosomes guide piRNA production on 3´UTRs in mice and chickens. At the pachytene stage, when other co-translational RNA surveillance pathways are sequestered, piRNA biogenesis degrades mRNAs right after pioneer rounds of translation and fine-tunes protein production from mRNAs. Although 3´UTR piRNA precursor mRNAs code for distinct proteins in mice and chickens, they all harbor embedded TEs and produce piRNAs that cleave TEs. Altogether, we discover a function of the piRNA pathway in fine-tuning protein production and reveal a conserved piRNA biogenesis mechanism that recognizes translating RNAs in amniotes.
PIWI 相互作用的小 RNA (piRNAs) 保护生殖细胞基因组，对生育能力至关重要。piRNAs 来源于转座元件 (TE) RNA、长非编码 RNA 或蛋白质编码信使基因的 3´非翻译区 (3´UTR)，其中最后一类是这三类 piRNA 中特征最少的。在这里，我们证明 3´UTR piRNA 的前体是全长 mRNA，并且终止后 80S 核糖体在小鼠和鸡的 3´UTR 上指导 piRNA 的产生。在粗线期，当其他共翻译的 RNA 监测途径被隔离时，piRNA 生物发生在先驱翻译轮次后立即降解 mRNA，并从 mRNA 中精细调整蛋白质的产生。尽管小鼠和鸡的 3´UTR piRNA 前体 mRNA 编码不同的蛋白质，但它们都含有嵌入的 TE，并产生切割 TE 的 piRNAs。总之，我们发现 piRNA 途径在精细调整蛋白质产生方面的功能，并揭示了一种保守的 piRNA 生物发生机制，该机制在羊膜动物中识别翻译 RNA。
