title: The Drosophila fragile X mental retardation protein participates in the piRNA pathway.
abstract: RNA metabolism controls multiple biological processes, and a specific class of small RNAs, called piRNAs, act as genome guardians by silencing the expression of transposons and repetitive sequences in the gonads. Defects in the piRNA pathway affect genome integrity and fertility. The possible implications in physiopathological mechanisms of human diseases have made the piRNA pathway the object of intense investigation, and recent work suggests that there is a role for this pathway in somatic processes including synaptic plasticity. The RNA-binding fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP, also known as FMR1) controls translation and its loss triggers the most frequent syndromic form of mental retardation as well as gonadal defects in humans. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that germline, as well as somatic expression, of Drosophila Fmr1 (denoted dFmr1), the Drosophila ortholog of FMRP, are necessary in a pathway mediated by piRNAs. Moreover, dFmr1 interacts genetically and biochemically with Aubergine, an Argonaute protein and a key player in this pathway. Our data provide novel perspectives for understanding the phenotypes observed in Fragile X patients and support the view that piRNAs might be at work in the nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy maria.bozzetti@unisalento.it angela@igbmc.fr.
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bozzetti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Specchia
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: Pierre B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Cattenoz
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laneve
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geusa
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: H Bahar
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Tommaso
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Friscini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA) - University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Serafina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Massari
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: Celine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diebold
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, 67404 Illkirch, France Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France maria.bozzetti@unisalento.it angela@igbmc.fr.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giangrande
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D005854:Germ Cells; D008297:Male; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C467328:FMR1 protein, Drosophila
keywords: Drosophila; Transposable elements; aubergine; crystal–Stellate; dFmr1; piRNAs