Profiling sex-specific piRNAs in zebrafish.
Piwi proteins and their partner small RNAs play an essential role in fertility, germ-line stem cell development, and the basic control and evolution of animal genomes. However, little knowledge exists regarding piRNA biogenesis. Utilizing microfluidic chip analysis, we present a quantitative profile of zebrafish piRNAs expressed differentially between testis and ovary. The sex-specific piRNAs are derived from separate loci of repeat elements in the genome. Ovarian piRNAs can be categorized into groups that reach up to 92 members, indicating a sex-specific arrangement of piRNA genes in the genome. Furthermore, precursor piRNAs preferentially form a hairpin structure at the 3'end, which seem to favor the generation of mature sex-specific piRNAs. In addition, the mature piRNAs from both the testis and the ovary are 2'-O-methylated at their 3' ends.
Zhou
Xiang
X
Department of Genetics, Center for Developmental Biology, College of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Zuo
Zhixiang
Z
Zhou
Fang
F
Zhao
Wei
W
Sakaguchi
Yuriko
Y
Suzuki
Takeo
T
Suzuki
Tsutomu
T
Cheng
Hanhua
H
Zhou
Rongjia
R
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D010053:Ovary / Q000737:chemistry*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000032:analysis*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013737:Testis / Q000737:chemistry*; D015027:Zebrafish
D034741:RNA, Small Interfering