GSBS Student Publications
Title
The Drosophila RNA methyltransferase, DmHen1, modifies germline piRNAs and single-stranded siRNAs in RISC
UMMS Affiliation
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Date
7-3-2007
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Germ Cells; Methylation; Methyltransferases; RNA 3' End Processing; RNA Interference; RNA, Small Interfering; RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; Recombinant Proteins
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Small silencing RNAs repress gene expression by a set of related mechanisms collectively called RNA-silencing pathways [1, 2]. In the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway [3], small interfering mRNA (siRNAs) defend cells from invasion by foreign nucleic acids, such as those produced by viruses. In contrast, microRNAs (miRNAs) sculpt endogenous mRNA expression [4]. A third class of small RNAs, Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), defends the genome from transposons [5-9]. Here, we report that Drosophila piRNAs contain a 2'-O-methyl group on their 3' termini; this is a modification previously reported for plant miRNAs and siRNAs [10] and mouse and rat piRNAs [11, 12, 13]. Plant small-RNA methylation is catalyzed by the protein HEN1 [10, 14, 15]. We find that DmHen1, the Drosophila homolog of HEN1, methylates the termini of siRNAs and piRNAs. Without DmHen1, the length and abundance of piRNAs are decreased, and piRNA function is perturbed. Unlike plant HEN1, DmHen1 acts on single strands, not duplexes, explaining how it can use as substrates both siRNAs-which derive from double-stranded precursors-and piRNAs-which do not [8, 13]. 2'-O-methylation of siRNAs may be the final step in assembly of the RNAi-enzyme complex, RISC, occurring after an Argonaute-bound siRNA duplex is converted to single-stranded RNA.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Curr Biol. 2007 Jul 17;17(14):1265-72. Epub 2007 Jun 28. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.cub.2007.06.030
Related Resources
Journal Title
Current biology : CB
PubMed ID
17604629
Repository Citation
Horwich, Michael D.; Li, Chengjian; Matranga, Christian B.; Vagin, Vasily V.; Farley, Gwen; Wang, Peng; and Zamore, Phillip D., "The Drosophila RNA methyltransferase, DmHen1, modifies germline piRNAs and single-stranded siRNAs in RISC" (2007). GSBS Student Publications. 538.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/538