The co-evolution of endogenous retroviruses with the animal germline

Date

Mar 21, 2024

Time

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Speaker

Julius Brennecke

Affiliation

IMBA Vienna

Series

MPI-CBG Thursday Seminar

Language

en

Main Topic

Biologie

Host

Anthony Hyman

Description

Small RNA-mediated silencing pathways are essential players in the relentless genetic conflict between transposable elements and host genomes. In animal gonads, the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway enforces effective transposon silencing in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Conceptually similar to prokaryotic CRISPR/Cas systems, the piRNA pathway uses effector proteins complexed with single-stranded guide RNAs (22-32nt piRNAs) derived from genomic loci, which act as adaptive and heritable sequence repositories. In my seminar, I will focus on the adult ovary ‘ecosystem’ in Drosophila melanogaster and provide an overview of our current understanding of the piRNA pathway. I will discuss how the rare event of an LTR element gaining infectivity allowed a genuine endogenous retrovirus to temporarily escape piRNA-mediated silencing, resulting in a profound example of retroviral diversification, and how the host responded.

Last modified: Mar 22, 2024, 7:36:34 AM