Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a recently discovered class of small noncoding RNAs that have been detected in human, mouse, rat, zebrafish, and Drosophila genomes. We have utilized a size-directed small-RNA cloning procedure to clone and map more than 300 candidate piRNA-like small RNAs in the genome of the marsupial species Monodelphis domestica. Our results are consistent with those from other species in that the piRNA-like candidate sequences range in size from 28 to 31 nucleotides, show a pronounced preference for uridine at the 5′ end, are transcribed from a few large clusters, appear to target transposons, and display virtually no sequence conservation.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Matthew Breen for assistance with the opossum chromosome figures. This study was funded in part by Grant Number RR014214 from the National Institutes of Health.
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Devor, E.J., Huang, L. & Samollow, P.B. piRNA-like RNAs in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica identify transcription clusters and likely marsupial transposon targets. Mamm Genome 19, 581–586 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-008-9109-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-008-9109-x