mut-16 and other mutator class genes modulate 22G and 26G siRNA pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Argonaute-associated siRNAs and Piwi-associated piRNAs have overlapping roles in silencing mobile genetic elements in animals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, mutator (mut) class genes mediate siRNA-guided repression of transposons as well as exogenous RNAi, but their roles in endogenous RNA silencing pathways are not well-understood. To characterize the endogenous small RNAs dependent on mut class genes, small RNA populations from a null allele of mut-16 as well as a regulatory mut-16(mg461) allele that disables only somatic RNAi were subjected to deep sequencing. Additionally, each of the mut class genes was tested for a requirement in 26G siRNA pathways. The results indicate that mut-16 is an essential factor in multiple endogenous germline and somatic siRNA pathways involving several distinct Argonautes and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. The results also reveal essential roles for mut-2 and mut-7 in the ERGO-1 class 26G siRNA pathway and less critical roles for mut-8, mut-14, and mut-15. We show that transposons are hypersusceptible to mut-16-dependent silencing and identify a requirement for the siRNA machinery in piRNA biogenesis from Tc1 transposons. We also show that the soma-specific mut-16(mg461) mutant allele is present in multiple C. elegans laboratory strains.
Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Chi
C
Zhang
Taiowa A
TA
Montgomery
Harrison W
HW
Gabel
Sylvia E J
SE
Fischer
Carolyn M
CM
Phillips
Noah
N
Fahlgren
Christopher M
CM
Sullivan
James C
JC
Carrington
Gary
G
Ruvkun
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D005095:Exoribonucleases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
C548336:ALG-4 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; C548334:ERGO-1 protein, C elegans; C557694:MUT-16 protein, C elegans; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C548335:T22B3.2 protein, C elegans; D005095:Exoribonucleases; C496085:MUT-7 protein, C elegans
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