Diversity of RNA interference pathways in regulation of endogenous and exogenous sequences expression in ciliates Tetrahymena and Paramecium

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Abstract

RNA interference plays a major role in biology of ciliates. Diverse small RNAs regulate many processes in vegetative cells of ciliates Tetrahymena and Paramecium. Different types of endogenous and exogenous nucleotide sequences induce different RNAi pathways resulting in silencing of the homologous sequences in the macronuclear genome. Likely this way ciliates are able to quickly inactivate heterogeneous sequences and to adapt efficiently to the environmental conditions and external stimuli.

About the authors

Irina V. Nekrasova

Saint Petersburg State University

Email: ne-irina@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3121-9772
ResearcherId: M-9794-2013

PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Biology

Russian Federation, 7/9, Universitetskaya embankment, Saint-Petersburg, 199034

Alexey A. Potekhin

Saint Petersburg State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: alexey.potekhin@spbu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4162-5923
ResearcherId: K-3633-2013

PhD, Full-Professor, Faculty of Biology

Russian Federation, 7/9, Universitetskaya embankment, Saint-Petersburg, 199034

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. General scheme of RNA interference pathways. dsRNA – double-stranded RNA; RdRP – RNA-dependent RNA polymerase; complexes of small RNAs and proteins: RISC – RNA-Induced Silencing Complex, RITS – RNA-Induced Transcriptional Silencing

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3. Fig. 2. Small RNAs involved in gene silencing in Paramecium and Tetrahymena vegetative cells. In Paramecium such small RNAs are subdivided into primary siRNAs produced by Dcr1p and RNA dependent RNA polymerases Rdr1p, Rdr2p, and Rdr3p, and secondary siRNAs. Induced by feeding with dsRNA-producing E. coli secondary siRNAs are synthesized by Rdr2p, which utilizes as template mRNA interacting with primary siRNAs. When silencing is induced by transgene microinjection, secondary siRNAs are produced not only by Rdr2p and Rdr3p, but also Dicer proteins are probably involved. Both pathways are likely to function when Paramecium regulates expression of endogenous genes. In Tetrahymena vegetative silencing may be induced by endogenous sequences, such as pseudogenes, repeats of different kinds, some genes, and also by exogenous vectors. In all cases Rdr1p and Dcr2p produce small RNAs, which possess methylated ribose or non-template U at 3’-ends

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4. Fig. 3. Possible complexes between RDRP of T. thermophila Rdr1p and accessory proteins Rdn1p, Rdn2p, Rdf1p, and Rdf2p

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5. Fig. 4. Characteristic features of three subfamilies of P. tetraurelia Piwi proteins

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Copyright (c) 2019 Nekrasova I.V., Potekhin A.A.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
 


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