Tejas Functions As a Core Component in Nuage Assembly and Precursor Processing in Drosophila PiRNA Biogenesis

Overview

Journal J Cell Biol

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2023 Aug 9

PMID 37555815

Authors

Yuxuan Lin

Ritsuko Suyama

Shinichi Kawaguchi

Taichiro Iki

Toshie Kai

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), which protect genome from the attack by transposons, are produced and amplified in membraneless granules called nuage. In Drosophila, PIWI family proteins, Tudor-domain-containing (Tdrd) proteins, and RNA helicases are assembled and form nuage to ensure piRNA production. However, the molecular functions of the Tdrd protein Tejas (Tej) in piRNA biogenesis remain unknown. Here, we conduct a detailed analysis of the subcellular localization of fluorescently tagged nuage proteins and behavior of piRNA precursors. Our results demonstrate that Tej functions as a core component that recruits Vasa (Vas) and Spindle-E (Spn-E) into nuage granules through distinct motifs, thereby assembling nuage and engaging precursors for further processing. Our study also reveals that the low-complexity region of Tej regulates the mobility of Vas. Based on these results, we propose that Tej plays a pivotal role in piRNA precursor processing by assembling Vas and Spn-E into nuage and modulating the mobility of nuage components.

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