title: The RNA surveillance complex Pelo-Hbs1 is required for transposon silencing in the Drosophila germline.
abstract: Silencing of transposable elements (TEs) in the metazoan germline is critical for genome integrity and is primarily dependent on Piwi proteins and associated RNAs, which exert their function through both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. Here, we report that the evolutionarily conserved Pelo (Dom34)-Hbs1 mRNA surveillance complex is required for transposon silencing in the Drosophila germline. In pelo mutant gonads, mRNAs and proteins of some selective TEs are up-regulated. Pelo is not required for piRNA biogenesis, and our studies suggest that Pelo may function at the translational level to silence TEs: This function requires interaction with Hbs1, and overexpression of RpS30a partially reverts TE-silencing defects in pelo mutants. Interestingly, TE silencing and spermatogenesis defects in pelo mutants can also effectively be rescued by expressing the mammalian ortholog of Pelo. We propose that the Pelo-Hbs1 surveillance complex provides another level of defense against the expression of TEs in the germline of Drosophila and possibly all metazoa.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Huanwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xuan
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China xirongwen@nibs.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Rongwen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005854:Germ Cells; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012313:RNA; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; C000628258:HBS1L protein, human
keywords: Drosophila; Hbs1; Pelota/Dom34; germline; transposon silencing