The emergence of piRNAs against transposon invasion to preserve mammalian genome integrity.
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29127279.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-017-01049-7 and PMC identifier 5681665.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) contribute to the large amount of repetitive sequences in mammalian genomes and have been linked to species-specific genome innovations by rewiring regulatory circuitries. However, organisms need to restrict TE activity to ensure genome integrity, especially in germline cells to protect the transmission of genetic information to the next generation. This review features our current understandings of mammalian PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and their role in TE regulation in spermatogenesis. Here we discuss functional implication and explore additional molecular mechanisms that inhibit transposon activity and altogether illustrate the paradoxical arms race between genome evolution and stability.
Medical subject headings
- DNA Transposable Elements
- RNA, Small Interfering
- Spermatogenesis