Somatic piRNA biogenesis

Abstract

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) protect animal germ cells from transposons and other selfish genetic elements. Of the three types of animal small-silencing RNAs-smallinterfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and piRNAs-piRNAs are the least well understood, because we lack good tools for studying how they are made and how they function. Brennecke et al have now established a method for triggering RNA interference (RNAi) solely in Drosophila follicle cells, a specialized somatic cell that abuts the developing oocyte and which expresses a simplified version of the piRNA pathway present in animal germ cells. Their initial results already suggest a revision for our model of the piRNA pathway, and promise to accelerate the study of this enigmatic small RNA class. © 2010 European Molecular Biology Organization | All Rights Reserved.