DEPS-1 is required for piRNA-dependent silencing and PIWI condensate organisation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Suen, Kin Man, Braukmann, Fabian, Butler, Richard, Bensaddek, Dalila, Akay, Alper ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6825-4443, Lin, Chi-Chuan, Milonaitytė, Dovilė, Doshi, Neel, Sapetschnig, Alexandra, Lamond, Angus, Ladbury, John Edward and Miska, Eric Alexander (2020) DEPS-1 is required for piRNA-dependent silencing and PIWI condensate organisation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature Communications, 11. ISSN 2041-1723

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Abstract

Membraneless organelles are sites for RNA biology including small non-coding RNA (ncRNA) mediated gene silencing. How small ncRNAs utilise phase separated environments for their function is unclear. We investigated how the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway engages with the membraneless organelle P granule in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proteomic analysis of the PIWI protein PRG-1 reveals an interaction with the constitutive P granule protein DEPS-1. DEPS-1 is not required for piRNA biogenesis but piRNA-dependent silencing: deps-1 mutants fail to produce the secondary endo-siRNAs required for the silencing of piRNA targets. We identify a motif on DEPS-1 which mediates a direct interaction with PRG-1. DEPS-1 and PRG-1 form intertwining clusters to build elongated condensates in vivo which are dependent on the Piwi-interacting motif of DEPS-1. Additionally, we identify EDG-1 as an interactor of DEPS-1 and PRG-1. Our study reveals how specific protein-protein interactions drive the spatial organisation and piRNA-dependent silencing within membraneless organelles.

Item Type: Article
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Cells and Tissues
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 26 Aug 2020 00:03
Last Modified: 21 Apr 2023 00:45
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/76660
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18089-1

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