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Mouse GTSF 1 is an essential factor for secondary pi RNA biogenesis
Author(s) -
Yoshimura Takuji,
Watanabe Toshiaki,
KuramochiMiyagawa Satomi,
Takemoto Noriaki,
Shiromoto Yusuke,
Kudo Akihiko,
KanaiAzuma Masami,
Tashiro Fumi,
Miyazaki Satsuki,
Katanaya Ami,
Chuma Shinichiro,
Miyazaki Junichi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.15252/embr.201642054
Subject(s) - biogenesis , rna , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , rna processing , genetics , chemistry , gene
The pi RNA pathway is a pi RNA ‐guided retrotransposon silencing system which includes processing of retrotransposon transcripts by PIWI ‐pi RNA s in secondary pi RNA biogenesis. Although several proteins participate in the pi RNA pathway, the ones crucial for the cleavage of target RNA s by PIWI ‐pi RNA s have not been identified. Here, we show that GTSF 1, an essential factor for retrotransposon silencing in male germ cells in mice, associates with both MILI and MIWI 2, mouse PIWI proteins that function in prospermatogonia. GTSF 1 deficiency leads to a severe defect in the production of secondary pi RNA s, which are generated from target RNA s of PIWI ‐pi RNA s. Furthermore, in Gtsf1 mutants, a known target RNA of PIWI ‐pi RNA s is left unsliced at the cleavage site, and the generation of secondary pi RNA s from this transcript is defective. Our findings indicate that GTSF 1 is a crucial factor for the slicing of target RNA s by PIWI ‐pi RNA s and thus affects secondary pi RNA biogenesis in prospermatogonia.