Pimet, the Drosophila homolog of HEN1, mediates 2'-O-methylation of Piwi- interacting RNAs at their 3' ends.
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) consist of a germline-specific group of small RNAs derived from distinct intergenic loci in the genome. piRNAs function in silencing selfish transposable elements through binding with the PIWI subfamily proteins of Argonautes. Here we show that piRNAs in Drosophila are 2'-O-methylated at their 3' ends. Loss of Pimet (piRNA methyltransferase), the Drosophila homolog of Arabidopsis HEN1 methyltransferase for microRNAs (miRNAs), results in loss of 2'-O-methylation of fly piRNAs. Recombinant Pimet shows single-stranded small RNA methylation activity in vitro and interacts with the PIWI proteins within Pimet mutant ovary. These results show that Pimet mediates piRNA 2'-O-methylation in Drosophila.
Saito
Kuniaki
K
Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
Sakaguchi
Yuriko
Y
Suzuki
Takeo
T
Suzuki
Tsutomu
T
Siomi
Haruhiko
H
Siomi
Mikiko C
MC
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004330:Drosophila / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008745:Methylation; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017385:Sequence Homology
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C450825:HEN1 protein, Arabidopsis; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011506:Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C116498:piwi protein, Drosophila; C521948:Hen1 protein, Drosophila; D008780:Methyltransferases