Functions of PIWI Proteins in Spermatogenesis

Overview

Journal Clin Exp Reprod Med

Date 2012 Mar 3

PMID 22384420

Citations 24

Authors

Chong Won Bak

Tae-Ki Yoon

Youngsok Choi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recently, a significant understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating spermatogenesis has been achieved utilizing small RNA molecules (small RNAs), including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) which emerged as important regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional or translation level. piRNAs are only present in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids, whereas miRNAs are expressed abundantly in male germ cells throughout spermatogenesis. This review is aimed at providing a glimpse of piRNAs and their interacting family proteins such as PIWIL1, PIWIL2, and PIWIL4 in spermatogenesis.

Citing Articles

Molecular mechanisms of cellular dysfunction in testes from men with non-obstructive azoospermia.

Piechka A, Sparanese S, Witherspoon L, Hach F, Flannigan R Nat Rev Urol. 2023; 21(2):67-90.

PMID: 38110528 DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00837-9.

Lower Spermatozoal and Transcript Levels Are Significantly Associated with Higher Fertilization Rates in IVF.

Giebler M, Greither T, Handke D, Seliger G, Behre H Int J Mol Sci. 2021; 22(21).

PMID: 34768750 PMC: 8583392. DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111320.

Changes in Expressions of Spermatogenic Marker Genes and Spermatogenic Cell Population Caused by Stress.

Tian P, Zhao Z, Fan Y, Cui N, Shi B, Hao G Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021; 12:584125.

PMID: 34707565 PMC: 8542882. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.584125.

Associations between infant sex and DNA methylation across umbilical cord blood, artery, and placenta samples.

Bozack A, Colicino E, Just A, Wright R, Baccarelli A, Wright R Epigenetics. 2021; 17(10):1080-1097.

PMID: 34569420 PMC: 9542631. DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2021.1985300.

Polyubiquitin gene Ubb is required for upregulation of Piwi protein level during mouse testis development.

Han B, Jung B, Park S, Song K, Anwar M, Ryu K Cell Death Discov. 2021; 7(1):194.

PMID: 34312369 PMC: 8313548. DOI: 10.1038/s41420-021-00581-2.

References

Sasaki T, Shiohama A, Minoshima S, Shimizu N . Identification of eight members of the Argonaute family in the human genome. Genomics. 2003; 82(3):323-30. DOI: 10.1016/s0888-7543(03)00129-0. View

Reddien P, Oviedo N, Jennings J, Jenkin J, Sanchez Alvarado A . SMEDWI-2 is a PIWI-like protein that regulates planarian stem cells. Science. 2005; 310(5752):1327-30. DOI: 10.1126/science.1116110. View

Li E, Bestor T, Jaenisch R . Targeted mutation of the DNA methyltransferase gene results in embryonic lethality. Cell. 1992; 69(6):915-26. DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90611-f. View

KING F, Szakmary A, Cox D, Lin H . Yb modulates the divisions of both germline and somatic stem cells through piwi- and hh-mediated mechanisms in the Drosophila ovary. Mol Cell. 2001; 7(3):497-508. DOI: 10.1016/s1097-2765(01)00197-6. View

Aravin A, Sachidanandam R, Bourchis D, Schaefer C, Pezic D, Fejes Toth K . A piRNA pathway primed by individual transposons is linked to de novo DNA methylation in mice. Mol Cell. 2008; 31(6):785-99. PMC: 2730041. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2008.09.003. View

Betel D, Sheridan R, Marks D, Sander C . Computational analysis of mouse piRNA sequence and biogenesis. PLoS Comput Biol. 2007; 3(11):e222. PMC: 2065894. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030222. View

Lau N, Seto A, Kim J, Kuramochi-Miyagawa S, Nakano T, Bartel D . Characterization of the piRNA complex from rat testes. Science. 2006; 313(5785):363-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1130164. View

Tomari Y, Du T, Haley B, Schwarz D, Bennett R, Cook H . RISC assembly defects in the Drosophila RNAi mutant armitage. Cell. 2004; 116(6):831-41. DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(04)00218-1. View

Wang G, Reinke V . A C. elegans Piwi, PRG-1, regulates 21U-RNAs during spermatogenesis. Curr Biol. 2008; 18(12):861-7. PMC: 2494713. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2008.05.009. View

10.

Lin H, Spradling A . A novel group of pumilio mutations affects the asymmetric division of germline stem cells in the Drosophila ovary. Development. 1997; 124(12):2463-76. DOI: 10.1242/dev.124.12.2463. View

11.

Waterston R, Lindblad-Toh K, Birney E, Rogers J, Abril J, Agarwal P . Initial sequencing and comparative analysis of the mouse genome. Nature. 2002; 420(6915):520-62. DOI: 10.1038/nature01262. View

12.

Zheng K, Xiol J, Reuter M, Eckardt S, Leu N, McLaughlin K . Mouse MOV10L1 associates with Piwi proteins and is an essential component of the Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(26):11841-6. PMC: 2900664. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1003953107. View

13.

Aravin A, Sachidanandam R, Girard A, Fejes-Toth K, Hannon G . Developmentally regulated piRNA clusters implicate MILI in transposon control. Science. 2007; 316(5825):744-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1142612. View

14.

Carmell M, Girard A, van de Kant H, Bourchis D, Bestor T, de Rooij D . MIWI2 is essential for spermatogenesis and repression of transposons in the mouse male germline. Dev Cell. 2007; 12(4):503-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2007.03.001. View

15.

Conine C, Batista P, Gu W, Claycomb J, Chaves D, Shirayama M . Argonautes ALG-3 and ALG-4 are required for spermatogenesis-specific 26G-RNAs and thermotolerant sperm in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107(8):3588-93. PMC: 2840486. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0911685107. View

16.

Aravin A, Gaidatzis D, Pfeffer S, Lagos-Quintana M, Landgraf P, Iovino N . A novel class of small RNAs bind to MILI protein in mouse testes. Nature. 2006; 442(7099):203-7. DOI: 10.1038/nature04916. View

17.

Grivna S, Beyret E, Wang Z, Lin H . A novel class of small RNAs in mouse spermatogenic cells. Genes Dev. 2006; 20(13):1709-14. PMC: 1522066. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1434406. View

18.

Tolia N, Joshua-Tor L . Slicer and the argonautes. Nat Chem Biol. 2006; 3(1):36-43. DOI: 10.1038/nchembio848. View

19.

Eddy E . Male germ cell gene expression. Recent Prog Horm Res. 2002; 57:103-28. DOI: 10.1210/rp.57.1.103. View

20.

Kimura T, Ito C, Watanabe S, Takahashi T, Ikawa M, Yomogida K . Mouse germ cell-less as an essential component for nuclear integrity. Mol Cell Biol. 2003; 23(4):1304-15. PMC: 141152. DOI: 10.1128/MCB.23.4.1304-1315.2003. View