The role of Piwi nuclear localization in the differentiation and proliferation of germline stem cells

The Piwi protein and its orthologs are considered as the key components of the piRNA machinery implicated in transcriptional silencing of transposons. Неre, we show that nuclear localization of the Piwi protein is required not only for transposon repression, but also for proper differentiation of ge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biology (New York) 2016-07, Vol.50 (4), p.630-637
Main Authors: Yakushev, E. Y., Mikhaleva, E. A., Abramov, Y. A., Sokolova, O. A., Zyrianova, I. M., Gvozdev, V. A., Klenov, M. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cell adhesion & migration
Gene loci
Germination
Human Genetics
Life Sciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Nuclear chemistry
Stem cells
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Summary:The Piwi protein and its orthologs are considered as the key components of the piRNA machinery implicated in transcriptional silencing of transposons. Неre, we show that nuclear localization of the Piwi protein is required not only for transposon repression, but also for proper differentiation of germline stem cells (GSCs). piwi Nt mutation that causes loss of nuclear Piwi and its retention in the cytoplasm leads to the accumulation of undifferentiated GSC-like cells. The analysis of piwi Nt mutation in combination with a bam gene mutation blocking GSC differentiation shows that the loss of nuclear Piwi decreases GSC proliferation rate. This is accompanied by the accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks in GSCs that may be caused by transposition events. Here, for the first time a set of transposons repressed by Piwi in GSCs and surrounding niche cells has been identified. The present study together with our previous data show that nuclear and cytoplasmic Piwi can regulate different stages of the functioning of germinal cells: cytoplasmic Piwi is sufficient to maintain GSCs, while nuclear Piwi localization is necessary for their proper proliferation and differentiation.
ISSN:0026-8933
1608-3245
DOI:10.1134/S0026893316040154