Skip to Content
Merck
  • SNPC-1.3 is a sex-specific transcription factor that drives male piRNA expression in C. elegans.

SNPC-1.3 is a sex-specific transcription factor that drives male piRNA expression in C. elegans.

eLife (2021-02-16)
Charlotte P Choi, Rebecca J Tay, Margaret R Starostik, Suhua Feng, James J Moresco, Brooke E Montgomery, Emily Xu, Maya A Hammonds, Michael C Schatz, Taiowa A Montgomery, John R Yates, Steven E Jacobsen, John K Kim
ABSTRACT

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play essential roles in silencing repetitive elements to promote fertility in metazoans. Studies in worms, flies, and mammals reveal that piRNAs are expressed in a sex-specific manner. However, the mechanisms underlying this sex-specific regulation are unknown. Here we identify SNPC-1.3, a male germline-enriched variant of a conserved subunit of the small nuclear RNA-activating protein complex, as a male-specific piRNA transcription factor in Caenorhabditis elegans. SNPC-1.3 colocalizes with the core piRNA transcription factor, SNPC-4, in nuclear foci of the male germline. Binding of SNPC-1.3 at male piRNA loci drives spermatogenic piRNA transcription and requires SNPC-4. Loss of snpc-1.3 leads to depletion of male piRNAs and defects in male-dependent fertility. Furthermore, TRA-1, a master regulator of sex determination, binds to the snpc-1.3 promoter and represses its expression during oogenesis. Loss of TRA-1 targeting causes ectopic expression of snpc-1.3 and male piRNAs during oogenesis. Thus, sexually dimorphic regulation of snpc-1.3 expression coordinates male and female piRNA expression during germline development.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Dess-Martin periodinane, 97%
Sigma-Aldrich
3X FLAG® Peptide, lyophilized powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Dimethyl pimelimidate dihydrochloride, powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride, powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Monoclonal ANTI-FLAG® M2 antibody produced in mouse, 1 mg/mL, clone M2, affinity isolated antibody, buffered aqueous solution (50% glycerol, 10 mM sodium phosphate, and 150 mM NaCl, pH 7.4)
Sigma-Aldrich
2-Chloroacetamide, ≥98.0% (HPLC)
Millipore
Benzonase® Nuclease, ≥250 units/μL, ≥90% (SDS-PAGE), recombinant, expressed in E. coli, buffered aqueous glycerol solution
Roche
Blocking Reagent, For nucleic acid hybridization and detection