title: Homeland security in the C. elegans germ line: insights into the biogenesis and function of piRNAs.
abstract: While most eukaryotic genomes contain transposable elements that can provide select evolutionary advantages to a given organism, failure to tightly control the mobility of such transposable elements can result in compromised genomic integrity of both parental and subsequent generations. Together with the Piwi subfamily of Argonaute proteins, small, non-coding Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) primarily function in the germ line to defend the genome against the potentially deleterious effects that can be caused by transposition. Here, we describe recent discoveries concerning the biogenesis and function of piRNAs in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, illuminating how the faithful production of these mature species can impart a robust defense mechanism for the germ line to counteract problems caused by foreign genetic elements across successive generations by contributing to the epigenetic memory of non-self vs. self.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics; Yale University; New Haven, CT USA.
authors.forename: Dionna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics; Yale University; New Haven, CT USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics; Yale University; New Haven, CT USA.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reinke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D042822:Genomic Instability; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012098:Reproduction
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering
keywords: 22G-RNA; Argonaute proteins; C. elegans; Piwi/PRG-1; biogenesis; epigenetics; germ line; piRNA/21U-RNA; transgenerational silencing