The TRIM-NHL protein NHL-2 is a co-factor in the nuclear and somatic RNAi pathways in C. elegans
Gregory M Davis,
Shikui Tu,
Joshua WT Anderson,
Rhys N Colson,
Menachem J Gunzburg,
Michelle A Francisco,
Debashish Ray,
Sean P Shrubsole,
Julia A Sobotka,
Uri Seroussi,
Robert X Lao,
Tuhin Maity,
Monica Z Wu,
Katherine McJunkin,
Quaid D Morris,
Timothy R Hughes,
Jacqueline A Wilce,
Julie M Claycomb,
Zhiping Weng,
Peter R Boag
Affiliations
Gregory M Davis
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; School of Health and Life Sciences, Federation University, Victoria, Australia
Shikui Tu
Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
Joshua WT Anderson
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Rhys N Colson
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Menachem J Gunzburg
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Michelle A Francisco
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Debashish Ray
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Sean P Shrubsole
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Julia A Sobotka
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Uri Seroussi
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Robert X Lao
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Tuhin Maity
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Monica Z Wu
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Katherine McJunkin
Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
Quaid D Morris
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Timothy R Hughes
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Jacqueline A Wilce
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Julie M Claycomb
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Zhiping Weng
Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Proper regulation of germline gene expression is essential for fertility and maintaining species integrity. In the C. elegans germline, a diverse repertoire of regulatory pathways promote the expression of endogenous germline genes and limit the expression of deleterious transcripts to maintain genome homeostasis. Here we show that the conserved TRIM-NHL protein, NHL-2, plays an essential role in the C. elegans germline, modulating germline chromatin and meiotic chromosome organization. We uncover a role for NHL-2 as a co-factor in both positively (CSR-1) and negatively (HRDE-1) acting germline 22G-small RNA pathways and the somatic nuclear RNAi pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NHL-2 is a bona fide RNA binding protein and, along with RNA-seq data point to a small RNA independent role for NHL-2 in regulating transcripts at the level of RNA stability. Collectively, our data implicate NHL-2 as an essential hub of gene regulatory activity in both the germline and soma.
