Annuaire
Eric CORNES, Université de Bordeaux
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Le 13/12/2024, de 11:00 à 12:00 |
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| S'adresser à | Salle des Thèses |
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The RNA-guided targeting of nucleic acids is an ancient and conserved mechanism of cellular immunity that has been evolutionarily adapted and diversified to regulate eukaryotic gene expression. In animal germ cells, non-coding PIWI-interacting small RNAs (piRNAs) act as a defense mechanism targeting transposable elements to promote fertility and genome integrity. In a nutshell: loaded into PIWI effector proteins, piRNA sequences provide mRNA targeting specificity by antisense complementarity, promoting both post-transcriptional and transcriptional gene silencing through multiple mechanisms. However, the vast majority of piRNA sequences expressed in animal germ cells do not target transposons, suggesting a broader role in gene regulation.
Studying piRNA pathway functions along C. elegans germline development, we recently demonstrated that piRNAs can directly regulate the transcription of hundreds of endogenous genes essential for spermatogenesis. At the subcellular scale, piRNA pathway components localize to distinct phase-separated, RNA-rich condensates present at the nuclear periphery of differentiating germ cells. Our results indicate that in the context of spermatogenic meiosis, the piRNA-mediated transcriptional gene silencing correlates with dynamic changes in the composition and organization of these RNA condensates. These observations suggest that the perinuclear condensate environment functionally connect small RNA biology to nuclear gene regulation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
In our new ATIP-Avenir Team at INSERM in Bordeaux, we are now investigating the functional significance of germline RNA condensates in gene regulation, gametogenesis and animal fertility.
Contact : K. Jouravleva