title: A novel class of somatic small RNAs similar to germ cell pachytene PIWI-interacting small RNAs.
abstract: PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that bind PIWI family proteins exclusively expressed in the germ cells of mammalian gonads. MIWI2-associated piRNAs are essential for silencing transposons during primordial germ cell development, and MIWI-bound piRNAs are required for normal spermatogenesis during adulthood in mice. Although piRNAs have long been regarded as germ cell-specific, increasing lines of evidence suggest that somatic cells also express piRNA-like RNAs (pilRNAs). Here, we report the detection of abundant pilRNAs in somatic cells, which are similar to MIWI-associated piRNAs mainly expressed in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids in the testis. Based on small RNA deep sequencing and quantitative PCR analyses, pilRNA expression is dynamic and displays tissue specificity. Although pilRNAs are similar to pachytene piRNAs in both size and genomic origins, they have a distinct ping-pong signature. Furthermore, pilRNA biogenesis appears to utilize a yet to be identified pathway, which is different from all currently known small RNA biogenetic pathways. In addition, pilRNAs appear to preferentially target the 3'-UTRs of mRNAs in a partially complementary manner. Our data suggest that pilRNAs, as an integral component of the small RNA transcriptome in somatic cell lineages, represent a distinct population of small RNAs that may have functions similar to germ cell piRNAs.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ortogero
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Daniel K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Connor R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Riordan
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Annie S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Grant W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Hennig
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Dickson
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luong
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Jianqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Bhupal P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Bhetwal
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and.
authors.forename: Seungil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.affiliation: the Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McCarrey
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada 89557 and wyan@medicine.nevada.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D056885:Interstitial Cells of Cajal / Q000378:metabolism*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D049471:Pachytene Stage / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D013087:Spermatids / Q000378:metabolism; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering
keywords: Gene Regulation; RNA; RNA Interference (RNAi); Somatic Cell Genetics; Transposable Element (TE)