Satellite DNA-containing gigantic introns in a unique gene expression program during < i > Drosophila < /i > spermatogenesis

by Jaclyn M. Fingerhut, Jessica V. Moran, Yukiko M. Yamashita

Intron gigantism, where genes contain megabase-sized introns, is observed across species, yet little is known about its purpose or regulation. Here we identify a unique gene expression program utilized for the proper expression of genes with intron gigantism. We find that twoDrosophila genes with intron gigantism,kl-3 andkl-5, are transcribed in a spatiotemporal manner over the course of spermatocyte differentiation, which spans ~90 hours. The introns of these genes contain megabases of simple satellite DNA repeats that comprise over 99% of the gene loci, and these satellite-DNA containing introns are transcribed. We identify two RNA-binding proteins that specifically localize tokl-3 andkl-5 transcripts and are needed for the successful transcription or processing of these genes. We propose that genes with intron gigantism require a unique gene expression program, which may serve as a platform to regulate gene expression during cellular differentiation.

Source: PLoS Genetics - May 8, 2019 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jaclyn M. Fingerhut Source Type: research