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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Mammalian pachytene PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are expressed during the pachytene stage in spermatocytes with proposed roles in the
regulation of meiosis. However, their specific functions and targets remain elusive. In this study, Swathi Arur and colleagues interrogate the function of 21URNAs, the _Caenorhabditis
elegans_ piRNAs, and the PIWI homolog _prg-1_ in the male germline. They show that loss of _prg-1_ function results in reduced homologous pairing with subsequent defects in crossover
formation and chromosome segregation. To determine the targets through which 21URNAs affect meiotic events, the authors sequenced the worm 22G short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that are
generated by 21URNA-mediated silencing. Interestingly, distinct 21URNAs can regulate a single gene in a combinatorial manner. Among the targets identified was Polo-like kinase 3 (PLK-3).
_Plk-3_ mRNA is normally expressed throughout pachytene, but 21URNA activity was found to spatially restrict protein expression to the proliferative region. Accordingly, loss of 21URNAs
leads to de-silencing of PLK-3 with defects observed during later meiotic stages. Together, these findings suggest that 21URNAs are a _C. elegans_ equivalent of mammalian pachytene piRNAs
and highlight the role of the piRNA pathway in the spatiotemporal regulation of germline genes. ORIGINAL REFERENCE: _Sci. Adv_. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp0466 (2024) This is a
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* Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Nature Genetics https://www.nature.com/ng Petra
Gross Authors * Petra Gross View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Petra Gross. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS
Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Gross, P. Spatiotemporal regulation of germline genes by piRNAs. _Nat Genet_ 56, 2295 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-02004-1 Download citation * Published: 08 November 2024 * Issue Date: November 2024 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-02004-1 SHARE THIS ARTICLE
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