Rhino breaks the deadlock in Drosophila testis

Abstract

In the early 2000s, Aravin and colleagues discovered, in the Drosophila melanogaster testis, a new class of small regulatory RNAs initially named repeat-associated small interfering RNA (rasiRNAs). rasiRNAs were first described as regulating a protein-coding gene. They are derived from the Suppressor of Stellate [Su(Ste)] locus located on the Y chromosome and were shown to target the X-linked Stellate repeated genes by sequence complementarity. Stellate genes encode proteins with homology to the regulatory - subunit of the protein kinase CK2. Stellate repression occurs during male gametogenesis and is essential for male fertility. These small RNAs were renamed as PIWI-interacting RNAs (pAU iRNAs);: Pleasenotethat they are 23 to 29 nucleotides (nt) long: and bind to proteins of the PIWI family. Accordingly, piRNA pathway mutants are sterile, and they contain crystalline aggregates of Stellate-coded protein [1].