Argonautes Promote Male Fertility and Provide a Paternal Memory of Germline Gene Expression in C. elegans
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Authors
Conine, Colin C.Moresco, James J.
Gu, Weifeng
Shirayama, Masaki
Conte, Darryl Jr.
Yates, John R. III
Mello, Craig C.
Student Authors
Colin C. ConineUMass Chan Affiliations
RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program in Molecular MedicineDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2013-12-19Keywords
EpigeneticsRNAi
Small RNA
Argonaute
Germline Sperm
Bioinformatics
Biology
Cell Biology
Developmental Biology
Genetics
Genomics
Molecular Genetics
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
During each life cycle, germ cells preserve and pass on both genetic and epigenetic information. In C. elegans, the ALG-3/4 Argonaute proteins are expressed during male gametogenesis and promote male fertility. Here, we show that the CSR-1 Argonaute functions with ALG-3/4 to positively regulate target genes required for spermiogenesis. Our findings suggest that ALG-3/4 functions during spermatogenesis to amplify a small RNA signal that represents an epigenetic memory of male-specific gene expression. CSR-1, which is abundant in mature sperm, appears to transmit this memory to offspring. Surprisingly, in addition to small RNAs targeting male-specific genes, we show that males also harbor an extensive repertoire of CSR-1 small RNAs targeting oogenesis-specific mRNAs. Together, these findings suggest that C. elegans sperm transmit not only the genome but also epigenetic binary signals in the form of Argonaute/small RNA complexes that constitute a memory of gene expression in preceding generations.Source
Conine, C.C., Moresco, J.J., Gu, W., Shirayama, M., Conte, D., Jr., Yates, J.R., 3rd, and Mello, C.C. (2013). Argonautes Promote Male Fertility and Provide a Paternal Memory of Germline Gene Expression in C. elegans. Cell 155(7):1532-1544. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.032. Link to article on publisher's websiteDOI
10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.032Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/33315PubMed ID
24360276Related Resources
Link to article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.032