ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Germ cells contain non-membrane bound cytoplasmic organelles that help maintain germline integrity. In C. elegans they are called P granules; without them, the germline undergoes partial masculinization and aberrant differentiation. One key P-granule component is the Argonaute CSR-1, a small-RNA bin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2017-02-01
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| Series: | PLoS Genetics |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5325599?pdf=render |
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| author | Karolina M Andralojc Anne C Campbell Ashley L Kelly Markus Terrey Paige C Tanner Ian M Gans Michael J Senter-Zapata Eraj S Khokhar Dustin L Updike |
| author_facet | Karolina M Andralojc Anne C Campbell Ashley L Kelly Markus Terrey Paige C Tanner Ian M Gans Michael J Senter-Zapata Eraj S Khokhar Dustin L Updike |
| author_sort | Karolina M Andralojc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Germ cells contain non-membrane bound cytoplasmic organelles that help maintain germline integrity. In C. elegans they are called P granules; without them, the germline undergoes partial masculinization and aberrant differentiation. One key P-granule component is the Argonaute CSR-1, a small-RNA binding protein that antagonizes accumulation of sperm-specific transcripts in developing oocytes and fine-tunes expression of proteins critical to early embryogenesis. Loss of CSR-1 complex components results in a very specific, enlarged P-granule phenotype. In a forward screen to identify mutants with abnormal P granules, ten alleles were recovered with a csr-1 P-granule phenotype, eight of which contain mutations in known components of the CSR-1 complex (csr-1, ego-1, ekl-1, and drh-3). The remaining two alleles are in a novel gene now called elli-1 (enlarged germline granules). ELLI-1 is first expressed in primordial germ cells during mid-embryogenesis, and continues to be expressed in the adult germline. While ELLI-1 forms cytoplasmic aggregates, they occasionally dock, but do not co-localize with P granules. Instead, the majority of ELLI-1 aggregates accumulate in the shared germline cytoplasm. In elli-1 mutants, several genes that promote RNAi and P-granule accumulation are upregulated, and embryonic lethality, sterility, and RNAi resistance in a hypomorphic drh-3 allele is enhanced, suggesting that ELLI-1 functions with CSR-1 to modulate RNAi activity, P-granule accumulation, and post-transcriptional expression in the germline. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T08:44:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5e11391c9da41e6ad9ae9793657bf23 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1553-7390 1553-7404 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T08:44:28Z |
| publishDate | 2017-02-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Genetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5e11391c9da41e6ad9ae9793657bf232022-12-22T01:55:46ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Genetics1553-73901553-74042017-02-01132e100661110.1371/journal.pgen.1006611ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans.Karolina M AndralojcAnne C CampbellAshley L KellyMarkus TerreyPaige C TannerIan M GansMichael J Senter-ZapataEraj S KhokharDustin L UpdikeGerm cells contain non-membrane bound cytoplasmic organelles that help maintain germline integrity. In C. elegans they are called P granules; without them, the germline undergoes partial masculinization and aberrant differentiation. One key P-granule component is the Argonaute CSR-1, a small-RNA binding protein that antagonizes accumulation of sperm-specific transcripts in developing oocytes and fine-tunes expression of proteins critical to early embryogenesis. Loss of CSR-1 complex components results in a very specific, enlarged P-granule phenotype. In a forward screen to identify mutants with abnormal P granules, ten alleles were recovered with a csr-1 P-granule phenotype, eight of which contain mutations in known components of the CSR-1 complex (csr-1, ego-1, ekl-1, and drh-3). The remaining two alleles are in a novel gene now called elli-1 (enlarged germline granules). ELLI-1 is first expressed in primordial germ cells during mid-embryogenesis, and continues to be expressed in the adult germline. While ELLI-1 forms cytoplasmic aggregates, they occasionally dock, but do not co-localize with P granules. Instead, the majority of ELLI-1 aggregates accumulate in the shared germline cytoplasm. In elli-1 mutants, several genes that promote RNAi and P-granule accumulation are upregulated, and embryonic lethality, sterility, and RNAi resistance in a hypomorphic drh-3 allele is enhanced, suggesting that ELLI-1 functions with CSR-1 to modulate RNAi activity, P-granule accumulation, and post-transcriptional expression in the germline.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5325599?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Karolina M Andralojc Anne C Campbell Ashley L Kelly Markus Terrey Paige C Tanner Ian M Gans Michael J Senter-Zapata Eraj S Khokhar Dustin L Updike ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genetics |
| title | ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. |
| title_full | ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. |
| title_fullStr | ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. |
| title_full_unstemmed | ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. |
| title_short | ELLI-1, a novel germline protein, modulates RNAi activity and P-granule accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. |
| title_sort | elli 1 a novel germline protein modulates rnai activity and p granule accumulation in caenorhabditis elegans |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5325599?pdf=render |
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