Objective
Transposons are parasitic DNA elements that when activated can insert into new genomic locations, leading to genome
instability. Animal germlines express a special class of small RNAs called piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) which are
implicated in transposon silencing. In mammals, they are believed to promote DNA methylation of transposon-rich genomic
regions. Mechanisms of piRNA biogenesis and function are only beginning to be understood. Sequence analysis of piRNAs
from a variety of organisms has given rise to working models for piRNA biogenesis and how piRNAs might act as guides
for nuclear silencing complexes. However, key components of the pathway, especially those for biogenesis and function,
remain to be discovered. Our aim is to identify and characterize new components using a combination of biochemistry, mouse
genetics and small RNA bioinformatics. The regulatory potential of posttranslational modification of piwi proteins and their
recognition by tudor proteins will be examined. Mouse mutants will be used to study the in vivo role of catalytic activity of
piwi proteins in piRNA biogenesis and identify putative targets by transcriptomics approaches. Integrated biochemical and
deep-sequencing methods will be applied to understand how small RNAs might guide nulcear silencing machinery to target
locations. Finally, in a field that is dependent on model organisms, we propose to develop a cell culture system to study the
piRNA pathway and carry out a high-throughput functional RNAi screen for component discovery. This proposal aims to
use interdisciplinary approaches in uncovering the biochemical framework in which germline small RNAs function to protect
eukaryotic genomes.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
ERC-2010-StG_20091118
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
ERC-SG - ERC Starting GrantHost institution
69117 Heidelberg
Germany