Dynamic Interactions Between the Genome and an Endogenous Retrovirus: Tirant in Drosophila simulans Wild-Type Strains

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

article

Marie Fablet¹  Angelo Jacquet¹  Rita Rebollo²  Annabelle Haudry¹  Carine Rey³  Judit Salces-Ortiz¹  Prajakta Bajad⁴  Nelly Burlet¹  Michael F. Jantsch⁴  Maria Pilar García Guerreiro⁵  Cristina Vieira¹ 

[1] Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne 69622, France;BF2i, Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, UMR 0203, Villeurbanne 69621, France;Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, UnivLyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon 69007, France;Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Division of Cell- and Developmental Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria;Grup de Genòmica, Bioinformàtica i Biologia Evolutiva, Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra-Barcelona 08193, Spain

关键词: Transposable element;    Retrotransposon;    Drosophila;    epigenetic control;    piRNA;    chromatin;   

DOI  :  10.1534/g3.118.200789

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Genetics Society of America

【 摘 要 】

All genomes contain repeated sequences that are known as transposable elements (TEs). Among these are endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which are sequences similar to retroviruses and are transmitted across generations from parent to progeny. These sequences are controlled in genomes through epigenetic mechanisms. At the center of the epigenetic control of TEs are small interfering RNAs of the piRNA class, which trigger heterochromatinization of TE sequences. The tirant ERV of Drosophila simulans displays intra-specific variability in copy numbers, insertion sites, and transcription levels, providing us with a well-suited model to study the dynamic relationship between a TE family and the host genome through epigenetic mechanisms. We show that tirant transcript amounts and piRNA amounts are positively correlated in ovaries in normal conditions, unlike what was previously described following divergent crosses. In addition, we describe tirant insertion polymorphism in the genomes of three D. simulans wild-type strains, which reveals a limited number of insertions that may be associated with gene transcript level changes through heterochromatin spreading and have phenotypic impacts. Taken together, our results participate in the understanding of the equilibrium between the host genome and its TEs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC