MOV10L1 is necessary for protection of spermatocytes against retrotransposons by Piwi-interacting RNAs

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) comprise a broad class of small noncoding RNAs that function as an endogenous defense system against transposable elements. Here we show that the putative DExD-box helicase MOV10-like-1 (MOV10L1) is essential for silencing retrotransposons in the mouse male germline. M...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-06, Vol.107 (26), p.11847-11852
Main Authors: Frost, Robert J. A., Hamra, F. Kent, Richardson, James A., Qi, Xiaoxia, Bassel-Duby, Rhonda, Olson, Eric N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Apoptosis
Argonaute Proteins
Base Sequence
Biological Sciences
Cells
DNA Methylation
DNA Primers - genetics
Fertility
Gene expression
Genetics
Germ cells
HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism
Male
Mammals
Meiosis
Mice
Mice, Knockout
Models, Biological
Molecular Sequence Data
Mutation
Pachytene stage
Proteins - metabolism
Retroelements - genetics
Retrotransposons
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA Helicases - deficiency
RNA Helicases - genetics
RNA Helicases - metabolism
RNA, Small Interfering - genetics
RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism
Seminiferous tubules
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Spermatocytes
Spermatocytes - metabolism
Spermatogenesis
Stem cells
Testes
Testis - metabolism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) comprise a broad class of small noncoding RNAs that function as an endogenous defense system against transposable elements. Here we show that the putative DExD-box helicase MOV10-like-1 (MOV10L1) is essential for silencing retrotransposons in the mouse male germline. Mov10l1 is specifically expressed in germ cells with increasing expression from gonocytes/type A spermatogonia to pachytene spermatocytes. Primary spermatocytes of Mov10l1 -/- mice show activation of LTR and LINE-1 retrotransposons, followed by cell death, causing male infertility and a complete block of spermatogenesis at early prophase of meiosis I. Despite the early expression of Mov10l1, germline stem cell maintenance appears unaffected in Mov10l1 -/- mice. MOV10L1 interacts with the Piwi proteins MILI and MIWI. MOV10L1 also interacts with heat shock 70-kDa protein 2 (HSPA2), a testis-enriched chaperone expressed in pachytene spermatocytes and also essential for male fertility. These studies reveal a crucial role of MOV10L1 in male fertility and piRNA-directed retrotransposon silencing in male germ cells and suggest that MOV10L1 functions as a key component of a safeguard mechanism for the genetic information in male germ cells of mammals.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1007158107