A Satellite Repeat-derived PiRNA Controls Embryonic Development of Aedes

Overview

Journal Nature

Specialty Science

Date 2020 Apr 10

PMID 32269344

Citations 50

Authors

Rebecca Halbach

Pascal Miesen

Joep Joosten

Ezgi Taskopru

Inge Rondeel

Bas Pennings

Chantal B F Vogels

Sarah H Merkling

Constantianus J Koenraadt

Louis Lambrechts

Ronald P van Rij

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Tandem repeat elements such as the diverse class of satellite repeats occupy large parts of eukaryotic chromosomes, mostly at centromeric, pericentromeric, telomeric and subtelomeric regions. However, some elements are located in euchromatic regions throughout the genome and have been hypothesized to regulate gene expression in cis by modulating local chromatin structure, or in trans via transcripts derived from the repeats. Here we show that a satellite repeat in the mosquito Aedes aegypti promotes sequence-specific gene silencing via the expression of two PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Whereas satellite repeats and piRNA sequences generally evolve extremely quickly, this locus was conserved for approximately 200 million years, suggesting that it has a central function in mosquito biology. piRNA production commenced shortly after egg laying, and inactivation of the more abundant piRNA resulted in failure to degrade maternally deposited transcripts in the zygote and developmental arrest. Our results reveal a mechanism by which satellite repeats regulate global gene expression in trans via piRNA-mediated gene silencing that is essential for embryonic development.

Citing Articles

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