Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Molecular biology

RNA rules

Nature volume 451, pages 131–132 (2008)Cite this article

Studies of an old genetic puzzle in a little-known protozoan reveal a new frontier in the expanding world of RNAs: an RNA template guides genome-wide DNA rearrangements during sexual reproduction.

Ciliated protozoa are unicellular organisms the analysis of which — largely because of the unusual organization of their genome — has led to fascinating fundamental discoveries, such as those of telomeres and catalytic RNAs. These protozoa contain both a germline nucleus and a somatic (non-germline) nucleus. The somatic genome is functional in the maternal protozoan, but degrades after fertilization. The germline genome, by contrast, is transcriptionally inert in the mother cell, but is transmitted to progeny, where it gives rise to both the germline and the somatic nuclei. The differentiation of the somatic nucleus from the inherited germline nucleus involves extensive genome rearrangements, including DNA deletion, fragmentation and amplification, to produce a greatly altered genome. On page 153 of this issue, Nowacki et al.1 show that a part of this process is orchestrated by RNA templates of maternal origin.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: RNA-guided genome rearrangement.

References

  1. Nowacki, M. et al. Nature 451, 153–158 (2008).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Greslin, A. F., Prescott, D. M., Oka, Y., Loukin, S. H. & Chappell, J. C. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 86, 6264–6268 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Mochizuki, K. et al. Cell 110, 689–699 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Yao, M.-C., Fuller, P. & Xi, X. Science 300, 1581–1584 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rassoulzadegan, M. et al. Nature 441, 469–474 (2006).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Sonneborn, T. M. Annu. Rev. Genet. 11, 349–367 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Duharcourt, S. et al. Genes Dev. 9, 2065–2077 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Chalker, D. L. & Yao, M.-C. Mol. Cell. Biol. 16, 3658–3667 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Garnier, O., Serrano, V., Duharcourt, S. & Meyer, E. Mol. Cell. Biol. 24, 7370–7379 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Meng-Chao Yao is at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan. mcyao@imb.sinica.edu.tw ,

    Meng-Chao Yao

Authors
  1. Meng-Chao Yao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yao, MC. RNA rules. Nature 451, 131–132 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/451131a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/451131a

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing