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piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids

piRNAs function as genome defense mechanisms against transposable elements insertions within germ line cells. Recent studies have unraveled that piRNA pathways are not limited to germ cells as initially reckoned, but are instead also found in non-gonadal somatic contexts. Moreover, these pathways ha...

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Autores principales: Horjales, S., Li Calzi, M, Francia, M. E., Cayota, A., Garcia-Silva, M. R.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9935688/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36816026
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1129194
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author Horjales, S.
Li Calzi, M
Francia, M. E.
Cayota, A.
Garcia-Silva, M. R.
author_facet Horjales, S.
Li Calzi, M
Francia, M. E.
Cayota, A.
Garcia-Silva, M. R.
author_sort Horjales, S.
collection PubMed
description piRNAs function as genome defense mechanisms against transposable elements insertions within germ line cells. Recent studies have unraveled that piRNA pathways are not limited to germ cells as initially reckoned, but are instead also found in non-gonadal somatic contexts. Moreover, these pathways have also been reported in bacteria, mollusks and arthropods, associated with safeguard of genomes against transposable elements, regulation of gene expression and with direct consequences in axon regeneration and memory formation. In this Perspective we draw attention to early branching parasitic protozoa, whose genome preservation is an essential function as in late eukaryotes. However, little is known about the defense mechanisms of these genomes. We and others have described the presence of putative PIWI-related machinery members in protozoan parasites. We have described the presence of a PIWI-like protein in Trypanosoma cruzi, bound to small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) as cargo of secreted extracellular vesicles relevant in intercellular communication and host infection. Herein, we put forward the presence of members related to Argonaute pathways in both Trypanosoma cruzi and Toxoplasma gondii. The presence of PIWI-like machinery in Trypansomatids and Apicomplexa, respectively, could be evidence of an ancestral piRNA machinery that evolved to become more sophisticated and complex in multicellular eukaryotes. We propose a model in which ancient PIWI proteins were expressed broadly and had functions independent of germline maintenance. A better understanding of current and ancestral PIWI/piRNAs will be relevant to better understand key mechanisms of genome integrity conservation during cell cycle progression and modulation of host defense mechanisms by protozoan parasites.
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spelling pubmed-99356882023-02-18 piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids Horjales, S. Li Calzi, M Francia, M. E. Cayota, A. Garcia-Silva, M. R. Front Genet Genetics piRNAs function as genome defense mechanisms against transposable elements insertions within germ line cells. Recent studies have unraveled that piRNA pathways are not limited to germ cells as initially reckoned, but are instead also found in non-gonadal somatic contexts. Moreover, these pathways have also been reported in bacteria, mollusks and arthropods, associated with safeguard of genomes against transposable elements, regulation of gene expression and with direct consequences in axon regeneration and memory formation. In this Perspective we draw attention to early branching parasitic protozoa, whose genome preservation is an essential function as in late eukaryotes. However, little is known about the defense mechanisms of these genomes. We and others have described the presence of putative PIWI-related machinery members in protozoan parasites. We have described the presence of a PIWI-like protein in Trypanosoma cruzi, bound to small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) as cargo of secreted extracellular vesicles relevant in intercellular communication and host infection. Herein, we put forward the presence of members related to Argonaute pathways in both Trypanosoma cruzi and Toxoplasma gondii. The presence of PIWI-like machinery in Trypansomatids and Apicomplexa, respectively, could be evidence of an ancestral piRNA machinery that evolved to become more sophisticated and complex in multicellular eukaryotes. We propose a model in which ancient PIWI proteins were expressed broadly and had functions independent of germline maintenance. A better understanding of current and ancestral PIWI/piRNAs will be relevant to better understand key mechanisms of genome integrity conservation during cell cycle progression and modulation of host defense mechanisms by protozoan parasites. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-02-03 /pmc/articles/PMC9935688/ /pubmed/36816026 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1129194 Text en Copyright © 2023 Horjales, Li Calzi, Francia, Cayota and Garcia-Silva. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Genetics
Horjales, S.
Li Calzi, M
Francia, M. E.
Cayota, A.
Garcia-Silva, M. R.
piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
title piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
title_full piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
title_fullStr piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
title_full_unstemmed piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
title_short piRNA pathway evolution beyond gonad context: Perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
title_sort pirna pathway evolution beyond gonad context: perspectives from apicomplexa and trypanosomatids
topic Genetics
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9935688/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36816026
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1129194
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