| RRC ID |
86878
|
| Author |
Wu Y, Imai R, Kosako H, Nakahara T, Solberg T, Siomi H, Murano K.
|
| Title |
The Piwi-piRNA complex initiates transposon silencing via transcription termination factors PNUTS and Senataxin.
|
| Journal |
Mol Cell
|
| Abstract |
Transcriptional silencing of transposable elements (TEs) is guided by Piwi and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) through the SFiNX complex to induce heterochromatin formation. We previously reported that members of the SFiNX complex can induce TE silencing prior to heterochromatin formation, suggesting that Piwi-mediated silencing can be separated into two steps: initiation and maintenance. While many studies have investigated the heterochromatin-dependent maintenance step of TE silencing, the mechanisms underlying silencing initiation remain elusive. In this study, we found that SFiNX can induce silencing independent of H1 and HP1a through an association between the SFiNX-interaction partner Sov and two proteins involved in transcription termination, phosphatase 1 nuclear targeting subunit (PNUTS) and Senataxin. Mechanistically, PNUTS and Senataxin affect the elongation speed or stalling of RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) to induce repression. Our findings suggest that piRNAs act as transcription termination signals in the initiation step of piRNA-guided transcriptional repression preceding heterochromatinization of TEs.
|
| Volume |
85(21)
|
| Pages |
3999-4015.e8
|
| Published |
2025-11-6
|
| DOI |
10.1016/j.molcel.2025.10.006
|
| PII |
S1097-2765(25)00823-8
|
| PMID |
41167190
|
| MeSH |
Animals
Argonaute Proteins* / genetics
Argonaute Proteins* / metabolism
DNA Helicases* / genetics
DNA Helicases* / metabolism
DNA Transposable Elements*
DNA-Binding Proteins* / genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins* / metabolism
Drosophila Proteins* / genetics
Drosophila Proteins* / metabolism
Drosophila melanogaster* / genetics
Drosophila melanogaster* / metabolism
Gene Silencing*
Heterochromatin / genetics
Heterochromatin / metabolism
Humans
Piwi-Interacting RNA
RNA Helicases* / genetics
RNA Helicases* / metabolism
RNA Polymerase II / genetics
RNA Polymerase II / metabolism
RNA, Small Interfering* / genetics
RNA, Small Interfering* / metabolism
RNA-Binding Proteins* / genetics
RNA-Binding Proteins* / metabolism
Transcription, Genetic
|
| IF |
15.584
|
| Resource |
| Drosophila |
D. simulans |
