TY - JOUR
T1 - Guest list or black list
T2 - Heritable small RNAs as immunogenic memories
AU - Rechavi, Oded
N1 - Funding Information:
The author thanks all members of the Rechavi laboratory for their helpful comments. The writing of this review was made possible by funds and support from the Alon, Bikura, and Yad Hanadiv fellowships and by CBRC, Teva NNE, ISF, and ERC grants.
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - Small RNA-mediated gene silencing plays a pivotal role in genome immunity by recognizing and eliminating viruses and transposons that may otherwise colonize the genome. However, individual genomic parasites are highly diverse and employ multiple immune-evasion techniques, making this silencing challenging. Here I review a new theory proposing that the integrity of the germline is maintained by transgenerationally transmitted RNA 'memories' that record ancestral gene expression patterns and delineate 'self' from 'foreign' sequences. To maintain such recollection, two tactics are employed in parallel: 'black listing' of invading nucleic acids and 'guest listing' of endogenous genes. Studies in several organisms have shown that this memorization is used by the next generation of small RNAs to act as 'inherited vaccines' that attack invading elements or as 'inherited licenses' that permit the transcription of autogenous sequences.
AB - Small RNA-mediated gene silencing plays a pivotal role in genome immunity by recognizing and eliminating viruses and transposons that may otherwise colonize the genome. However, individual genomic parasites are highly diverse and employ multiple immune-evasion techniques, making this silencing challenging. Here I review a new theory proposing that the integrity of the germline is maintained by transgenerationally transmitted RNA 'memories' that record ancestral gene expression patterns and delineate 'self' from 'foreign' sequences. To maintain such recollection, two tactics are employed in parallel: 'black listing' of invading nucleic acids and 'guest listing' of endogenous genes. Studies in several organisms have shown that this memorization is used by the next generation of small RNAs to act as 'inherited vaccines' that attack invading elements or as 'inherited licenses' that permit the transcription of autogenous sequences.
KW - Inherited immunity
KW - Inherited vaccines
KW - Self versus non-self
KW - Small RNA
KW - Transgenerational inheritance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84897032616&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tcb.2013.10.003
DO - 10.1016/j.tcb.2013.10.003
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C2 - 24231398
AN - SCOPUS:84897032616
SN - 0962-8924
VL - 24
SP - 212
EP - 220
JO - Trends in Cell Biology
JF - Trends in Cell Biology
IS - 4
ER -