Transgenerational inheritance of an acquired small RNA-based antiviral response in C. elegans.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Rechavi O
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3250924 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Transgenerational inheritance of an acquired small RNA-based antiviral response in C. elegans.
Rechavi Oded O Minevich Gregory G Hobert Oliver O
Cell 20111123 6
Induced expression of the Flock House virus in the soma of C. elegans results in the RNAi-dependent production of virus-derived, small-interfering RNAs (viRNAs), which in turn silence the viral genome. We show here that the viRNA-mediated viral silencing effect is transmitted in a non-Mendelian manner to many ensuing generations. We show that the viral silencing agents, viRNAs, are transgenerationally transmitted in a template-independent manner and work in trans to silence viral genomes present ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:Deep sequencing was used to detect Flock House Virus (FHV)-derived small RNAs (viRNAs) that were inherited over generations. Small RNA libraries were constructed from 4 different samples: (a) FR1gfp-transgenic worms that can mount an RNAi response and should contain viRNAs (positive control); (b) rde-4(-/-) mutants (negative control as no viRNAs are expected to be produced); (c) FR1gfp; rde-4(-/-) worms that are two generations away from their rde-4(+/-) grandparents, i.e. worms that can themselves not produce viRNAs, but may have inherited viRNA from their grandparents; and (d) the F3 progeny of wild-type animals that contained the FR1gfp transgene (and therefore produced viRNAs), but have lost this transgene through outcrossing with non-transgenic wild-type worms. This tests whether the silencing reagent can exist without its template. The Small RNA libraries were constructed using a protocol that enriches for Dicer products which harbor a single phosphate at the 5M-bM-^@M-^Y end of the RNA (Zamore et al., 2000), such as primary siRNAs, and unlike RdRP products that harbor tri-phosphate ends (Parameswaran et al., 2010). This was the protocol of choice because we were interested in identifying viRNAs that are guaranteed to be derived from the original RNAi-competent parents (Alcazar et al., 2008), and rde-4 animals can not produce primary siRNAs (Grishok et al., 2000; Parrish and Fire, 2001). rde-4 animals are, however, not defective in secondary siRNA production (Blanchard et al., 2011), and can therefore continue to amplify secondary siRNAs de novo; such autonomously-produced siRNAs will not be distinguishable from inherited ones. The detection of rare primary siRNAs is important, as even a single M-bM-^@M-^\triggerM-bM-^@M-^] siRNA can induce a full-blown RNAi-response that is not proportional to the primary trigger (Groenenboom et al., 2005).In agreement with the functional assays we detected different viRNAs complementary to several regions of the viral genome in the positive control (FR1gfp), no viRNAs in the negative control (rde-4(-/-)), and a number of viRNAs in the worms that could not generate their own viRNAs and thus inherited these viRNAs from their grandparents (F3 generation FR1gfp; rde-4(-/-))(Table 2; Figure 4). Moreover, we detect viRNAs in the worms in which the FR1gfp transgene had been crossed out, confirming that the viRNA transmit in a template-independent manner. The inherited viRNA matched the two most abundant types of viRNAs detected in the positive control (Figure 4) and these viRNAs were all of the reverse orientation (negative strand, which typically exists in much lower quantities than the positive strand (Felix et al., 2011)); both observations make it highly unlikely that the detected viRNAs merely represent unspecific break-down products of the viral RNA. In regard to the low number of inherited viRNA reads it needs to be considered that our protocol enriches specifically for rare primary viRNA species. Moreover, these viRNA species are derived from a response mounted in RNAi-competent grandparents, and are therefore possibly diluted over the course of several generations. Taken together, our results support the genetic experiments that argued for the existence of trans-acting factors that are transmitted in a non-Mendelian manner to ensuing generations. 4 samples examined. Small RNA libraries generated from: C. elegans animals.
2011-10-31 | E-GEOD-33334 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Deep sequencing was used to detect Flock House Virus (FHV)-derived small RNAs (viRNAs) that were inherited over generations. Small RNA libraries were constructed from 4 different samples: (a) FR1gfp-transgenic worms that can mount an RNAi response and should contain viRNAs (positive control); (b) rde-4(-/-) mutants (negative control as no viRNAs are expected to be produced); (c) FR1gfp; rde-4(-/-) worms that are two generations away from their rde-4(+/-) grandparents, i.e. worms that can themselves not produce viRNAs, but may have inherited viRNA from their grandparents; and (d) the F3 progeny of wild-type animals that contained the FR1gfp transgene (and therefore produced viRNAs), but have lost this transgene through outcrossing with non-transgenic wild-type worms. This tests whether the silencing reagent can exist without its template. The Small RNA libraries were constructed using a protocol that enriches for Dicer products which harbor a single phosphate at the 5’ end of the RNA (Zamore et al., 2000), such as primary siRNAs, and unlike RdRP products that harbor tri-phosphate ends (Parameswaran et al., 2010). This was the protocol of choice because we were interested in identifying viRNAs that are guaranteed to be derived from the original RNAi-competent parents (Alcazar et al., 2008), and rde-4 animals can not produce primary siRNAs (Grishok et al., 2000; Parrish and Fire, 2001). rde-4 animals are, however, not defective in secondary siRNA production (Blanchard et al., 2011), and can therefore continue to amplify secondary siRNAs de novo; such autonomously-produced siRNAs will not be distinguishable from inherited ones. The detection of rare primary siRNAs is important, as even a single “trigger” siRNA can induce a full-blown RNAi-response that is not proportional to the primary trigger (Groenenboom et al., 2005).In agreement with the functional assays we detected different viRNAs complementary to several regions of the viral genome in the positive control (FR1gfp), no viRNAs in the negative control (rde-4(-/-)), and a number of viRNAs in the worms that could not generate their own viRNAs and thus inherited these viRNAs from their grandparents (F3 generation FR1gfp; rde-4(-/-))(Table 2; Figure 4). Moreover, we detect viRNAs in the worms in which the FR1gfp transgene had been crossed out, confirming that the viRNA transmit in a template-independent manner. The inherited viRNA matched the two most abundant types of viRNAs detected in the positive control (Figure 4) and these viRNAs were all of the reverse orientation (negative strand, which typically exists in much lower quantities than the positive strand (Felix et al., 2011)); both observations make it highly unlikely that the detected viRNAs merely represent unspecific break-down products of the viral RNA. In regard to the low number of inherited viRNA reads it needs to be considered that our protocol enriches specifically for rare primary viRNA species. Moreover, these viRNA species are derived from a response mounted in RNAi-competent grandparents, and are therefore possibly diluted over the course of several generations. Taken together, our results support the genetic experiments that argued for the existence of trans-acting factors that are transmitted in a non-Mendelian manner to ensuing generations.
2011-10-31 | GSE33334 | GEO
Project description:Experiences trigger transgenerational small RNA-based responses in C. elegans nematodes. Dedicated machinery ensures that heritable effects are reset, but how the responses segregate in the population is unknown. We show that isogenic individuals differ dramatically in the persistence of transgenerational responses. By examining lineages of more than 20,000 worms, three principles emerge: (1) The silencing each mother initiates is distributed evenly among her descendants; heritable RNAi dissipates but is uniform in every generation. (2) Differences between lineages arise because the mothers that initiate heritable responses stochastically assume different "inheritance states" that determine the progeny's fate. (3) The likelihood that an RNAi response would continue to be inherited increases the more generations it lasts. The inheritance states are determined by HSF-1, which regulates silencing factors and, accordingly, small RNA levels. We found that, based on the parents' inheritance state, the descendants' developmental rate in response to stress can be predicted.
| S-EPMC7479518 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Evidence from animal studies and human famines suggests that starvation may affect the health of the progeny of famished individuals. However, it is not clear whether starvation affects only immediate offspring or has lasting effects; it is also unclear how such epigenetic information is inherited. Small RNA-induced gene silencing can persist over several generations via transgenerationally inherited small RNA molecules in C. elegans, but all known transgenerational silencing responses are directed against foreign DNA introduced into the organism. We found that starvation-induced developmental arrest, a natural and drastic environmental change, leads to the generation of small RNAs that are inherited through at least three consecutive generations. These small, endogenous, transgenerationally transmitted RNAs target genes with roles in nutrition. We defined genes that are essential for this multigenerational effect. Moreover, we show that the F3 offspring of starved animals show an increased lifespan, corroborating the notion of a transgenerational memory of past conditions.
| S-EPMC4377509 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The maintenance of genome integrity is an essential trait to the successful transmission of genetic information. In animal germ cells, piRNAs guide PIWI proteins to silence transposable elements (TEs) in order to maintain genome integrity. In insects, most TE silencing in the germline is achieved by secondary piRNAs that are produced by a feed-forward loop (the ping-pong cycle), which requires the piRNA-directed cleavage of two types of RNAs: mRNAs of functional euchromatic TEs and heterochromatic transcripts that contain defective TE sequences. The first cleavage that initiates such an amplification loop remains poorly understood. Taking advantage of the existence of strains that are devoid of functional copies of the LINE-like I-element, we report here that in such Drosophila ovaries, the initiation of a ping-pong cycle is exclusively achieved by secondary I-element piRNAs that are produced in the ovary and deposited in the embryonic germline. This unusual secondary piRNA biogenesis, detected in the absence of functional I-element copies, results from the processing of sense and antisense transcripts of several different defective I-element. Once acquired, for instance after ancestor aging, this capacity to produce heterochromatic-only secondary piRNAs is partially transmitted through generations via maternal piRNAs. Furthermore, such piRNAs acting as ping-pong initiators in a chromatin-independent manner confer to the progeny a high capacity to repress the I-element mobility. Our study explains, at the molecular level, the basis for epigenetic memory of maternal immunity that protects females from hybrid dysgenesis caused by transposition of paternally inherited functional I-element.
| S-EPMC3460183 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In C. elegans worms, epigenetic information transmits transgenerationally. Still, it is unknown whether the effects transfer to the next generation inside or outside of the nucleus. Here we use the tractability of gene-specific double-stranded RNA-induced silencing to demonstrate that RNAi can be inherited independently of any nuclear factors via mothers that are genetically engineered to transmit only their ooplasm but not the oocytes’ nuclei to the next generation. We characterize the mechanisms and, utilizing RNA sequencing, chimeric worms and sequence polymorphism between different isolates, identify endogenous small RNAs which, similarly to exogenous siRNAs, are inherited in a nucleus-independent manner. From an historical perspective, these results might be regarded as partial vindication of discredited cytoplasmic inheritance theories from the 19th century, such as Darwin’s “pangenesis” theory.
2023-09-22 | GSE243434 | GEO
Project description:Chromatin modifiers regulate lifespan in several organisms, raising the question of whether changes in chromatin states in the parental generation could be incompletely reprogrammed in the next generation and thereby affect the lifespan of descendants. The histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) complex, composed of ASH-2, WDR-5 and the histone methyltransferase SET-2, regulates Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan. Here we show that deficiencies in the H3K4me3 chromatin modifiers ASH-2, WDR-5 or SET-2 in the parental generation extend the lifespan of descendants up until the third generation. The transgenerational inheritance of lifespan extension by members of the ASH-2 complex is dependent on the H3K4me3 demethylase RBR-2, and requires the presence of a functioning germline in the descendants. Transgenerational inheritance of lifespan is specific for the H3K4me3 methylation complex and is associated with epigenetic changes in gene expression. Thus, manipulation of specific chromatin modifiers only in parents can induce an epigenetic memory of longevity in descendants.
| S-EPMC3368121 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Life experiences trigger transgenerational small RNA-based responses in C. elegans nematodes1. Dedicated machinery ensures that heritable effects would re-set, typically after a few generations2,3. Here we show that isogenic individuals differ dramatically in the persistence of transgenerational responses. By examining lineages composed of >20,000 worms we reveal 3 inheritance rules: (1) Once a response is initiated, each isogenic mother stochastically assumes an “inheritance state”, establishing a commitment that determines the fate of the inheritance. (2) The response that each mother transfers is uniform in each generation of her descendants. (3) The likelihood that an RNAi response would transmit to the progeny increases the more generations the response lasts, according to a “hot hand” principle. Mechanistically, the different parental “inheritance states” correspond to global changes in the expression levels of endogenous small RNAs, immune response genes, and targets of the conserved transcription factor HSF-1. We show that these rules predict the descendants’ developmental rate and resistance to stress.
2020-08-24 | GSE149422 | GEO
Project description:UNLABELLED:Antiviral RNA-mediated silencing (RNA interference [RNAi]) acts as a powerful innate immunity defense in plants, invertebrates, and mammals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, RNAi is systemic; i.e., RNAi silencing signals can move between cells and tissues. Furthermore, RNAi effects can be inherited transgenerationally and may last for many generations. Neither the biological relevance of systemic RNAi nor transgenerational RNAi is currently understood. Here we examined the role of both pathways in the protection of C. elegans from viral infection. We studied the Orsay virus, a positive-strand RNA virus related to Nodaviridae and the first and only virus known to infect C. elegans. Immunity to Orsay virus infection requires the RNAi pathway. Surprisingly, we found that genes required for systemic or transgenerational RNAi did not have a role in antiviral defense. Furthermore, we found that Orsay virus infection did not elicit a systemic RNAi response even when a target for RNAi was provided by using transgenes. Finally, we show that viral siRNAs, the effectors of RNAi, are not inherited to a level that provides any significant resistance to viral infection in the next generation. We conclude that systemic or transgenerational RNAi does not play a role in the defense against natural Orsay virus infection. Furthermore, our data suggest that there is a qualitative difference between experimental RNAi and antiviral RNAi. Our data are consistent with a model of systemic and transgenerational RNAi that requires a nuclear or germ line component that is lacking in almost all RNA virus infections. IMPORTANCE:Since its discovery in Caenorhabditis elegans, RNAi has proven a valuable scientific tool in many organisms. In C. elegans, exogenous RNAi spreads throughout the organism and can be passed between generations; however, there has been controversy as to the endogenous role(s) that the RNAi pathway plays. One endogenous role for which spreading both within the infected organism and between generations would be advantageous is a role in viral defense. In plants, antiviral RNAi is systemic and the spread of RNAi between cells provides protection against subsequent viral infection. Here we investigated this by using the only naturally occurring virus known to infect C. elegans, Orsay virus, and surprisingly found that, in contrast to the exogenous RNAi pathway, the antiviral RNAi response targeted against this virus does not spread systemically throughout the organism and cannot be passed between generations. These results suggest that there are differences between the two pathways that remain to be discovered.
| S-EPMC4645334 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The maintenance of genome integrity is an essential trait to the successful transmission of genetic information. In animal germ cells, piRNAs guide PIWI proteins to silence transposable elements (TEs) in order to maintain genome integrity. In insects, most of TE silencing in the germline is achieved by secondary piRNAs that are produced by a feed-forward loop (the ping-pong cycle), which requires the piRNA-directed cleavages of two types of RNAs: mRNAs of functional euchromatic TEs and heterochromatic transcripts that contain defective TE sequences. The first cleavage which initiates such amplification loop remains poorly understood. Taking advantage of the existence of strains that are devoid of functional copies of the LINE-like I-element, we report that in such Drosophila ovaries, the initiation of a ping-pong cycle is achieved only by secondary I-element piRNAs that are produced in the ovary and deposited in the embryonic germline. This unusual secondary piRNA biogenesis, detected in the absence of functional I-element copies, results from the processing of sense and antisense transcripts of several different defective I-elements. Once acquired, for instance after ancestor aging, this capacity to produce heterochromatic-only secondary piRNAs is partially transmitted through generations via maternal piRNAs. Furthermore, such piRNAs acting as ping-pong initiators in a chromatin-independent manner confer to the progeny a high capacity to repress the I-element mobility. Our study explains at the molecular level the basis for epigenetic memory of maternal immunity that protects females from hybrid dysgenesis caused by transposition of paternally inherited functional I-elements. Comparison of Drosophila small RNA populations in ovaries and/or eggs from 3-day-old or 25-day-old females.
2012-04-13 | E-GEOD-34506 | biostudies-arrayexpress