The piRNA pathway in planarian flatworms: new model, new insights

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that associate with members of the PIWI clade of the Argonaute superfamily of proteins. piRNAs are predominantly found in animal gonads. There they silence transposable elements (TEs), regulate gene expression and participate in DNA methylatio...

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Published inBiological chemistry Vol. 401; no. 10; pp. 1123 - 1141
Main Authors Kim, Iana V., Riedelbauch, Sebastian, Kuhn, Claus-D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Germany De Gruyter 25.09.2020
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Subjects
Animal tissues
Biology
Cell differentiation
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Differentiation
DNA
DNA methylation
Flatworms
Gene expression
Genomes
Gonads
Heredity
Homeostasis
Invertebrates
piRNAs
PIWI proteins
planarians
Platyhelminthes
Pluripotency
Proteins
Regeneration
Silence
Stem cell transplantation
Stem cells
planarians
piRNAs
Schmidtea mediterranea
PIWI proteins
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Summary:PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that associate with members of the PIWI clade of the Argonaute superfamily of proteins. piRNAs are predominantly found in animal gonads. There they silence transposable elements (TEs), regulate gene expression and participate in DNA methylation, thus orchestrating proper germline development. Furthermore, PIWI proteins are also indispensable for the maintenance and differentiation capabilities of pluripotent stem cells in free-living invertebrate species with regenerative potential. Thus, PIWI proteins and piRNAs seem to constitute an essential molecular feature of somatic pluripotent stem cells and the germline. In keeping with this hypothesis, both PIWI proteins and piRNAs are enriched in neoblasts, the adult stem cells of planarian flatworms, and their presence is a prerequisite for the proper regeneration and perpetual tissue homeostasis of these animals. The piRNA pathway is required to maintain the unique biology of planarians because, in analogy to the animal germline, planarian piRNAs silence TEs and ensure stable genome inheritance. Moreover, planarian piRNAs also contribute to the degradation of numerous protein-coding transcripts, a function that may be critical for neoblast differentiation. This review gives an overview of the planarian piRNA pathway and of its crucial function in neoblast biology.
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ISSN:1431-6730
1437-4315
DOI:10.1515/hsz-2019-0445