PIWI proteomics identifies Atari and Pasilla as piRNA biogenesis factors in Aedes mosquitoes
Joep Joosten,
Ezgi Taşköprü,
Pascal W.T.C. Jansen,
Bas Pennings,
Michiel Vermeulen,
Ronald P. Van Rij
Affiliations
Joep Joosten
Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Ezgi Taşköprü
Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Pascal W.T.C. Jansen
Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Oncode Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Bas Pennings
Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Michiel Vermeulen
Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Oncode Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Ronald P. Van Rij
Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Corresponding author
Summary: As in most arthropods, the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway in the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is active in diverse biological processes in both soma and germline. To gain insights into piRNA biogenesis and effector complexes, we mapped the interactomes of the somatic PIWI proteins Ago3, Piwi4, Piwi5, and Piwi6 and identify numerous specific interactors as well as cofactors associated with multiple PIWI proteins. We describe the Piwi5 interactor AAEL014965, the direct ortholog of the Drosophila splicing factor pasilla. We find that Ae. aegypti Pasilla encodes a nuclear isoform and a cytoplasmic isoform, the latter of which is required for efficient piRNA production. In addition, we characterize a splice variant of the Tudor protein AAEL008101/Atari that associates with Ago3 and forms a scaffold for PIWI proteins and target RNAs to promote ping-pong amplification of piRNAs. Our study provides a useful resource for follow-up studies of somatic piRNA biogenesis, mechanism, and function in Aedes mosquitoes.
