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Updated: May 15, 2025

RNAi Interference by dsRNA Injection into Drosophila Embryos
Published on: April 11, 2011
The transcription factor Traffic jam orchestrates the somatic piRNA pathway in Drosophila ovaries
Azad Alizada1, Aline Martins2, Nolwenn Mouniée2
1Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK.
Abstract:
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway is essential for transposable element (TE) silencing in animal gonads. While the transcriptional regulation of piRNA pathway components in germ cells has been documented in mice and flies, their control in somatic cells of Drosophila ovaries remains unresolved. Here, we demonstrate that Traffic jam (Tj), the Drosophila ortholog of large Maf transcription factors in mammals, is a master regulator of the somatic piRNA pathway. Tj binds to regulatory regions of somatic piRNA factors and the major piRNA cluster flamenco, which carries a Tj-bound enhancer downstream of its promoter. Depletion of Tj in somatic follicle cells causes downregulation of piRNA factors, loss of flamenco expression, and derepression of gypsy-family TEs. We propose that the arms race between the host and TEs led to the co-evolution of promoters in piRNA pathway genes as well as TE regulatory regions, which both rely on a shared transcription factor.
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