The TRIM-NHL protein NHL-2 is a co-factor in the nuclear and somatic RNAi pathways in C. Elegans

Gregory M Davis, Shikui Tu, Joshua WT Anderson, Rhys N Colson, Menachem J Gunzburg, Michelle A. Francisco, Debashish Ray, Sean P Shrubsole, Julia A. Sobotka, Uri Seroussi, Robert X. Lao, Tuhin Maity, Monica Z. Wu, Katherine McJunkin, Quaid D. Morris, Timothy R. Hughes, Jacqueline A Wilce, Julie M. Claycomb, Zhiping Weng, Peter R. Boag

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Proper regulation of germline gene expression is essential for fertility and maintaining species integrity. In the C. elegans germline, a diverse repertoire of regulatory pathways promote the expression of endogenous germline genes and limit the expression of deleterious transcripts to maintain genome homeostasis. Here we show that the conserved TRIM-NHL protein, NHL-2, plays an essential role in the C. elegans germline, modulating germline chromatin and meiotic chromosome organization. We uncover a role for NHL-2 as a co-factor in both positively (CSR-1) and negatively (HRDE-1) acting germline 22G-small RNA pathways and the somatic nuclear RNAi pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NHL-2 is a bona fide RNA binding protein and, along with RNA-seq data point to a small RNA independent role for NHL-2 in regulating transcripts at the level of RNA stability. Collectively, our data implicate NHL-2 as an essential hub of gene regulatory activity in both the germline and soma.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere35478
Number of pages29
JournaleLife
Volume7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Dec 2018

Keywords

  • 22G-RNA
  • Caenorhabditis elegans
  • NHL-2
  • RNAi
  • TRIM-NHL

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