The secreted endoribonuclease ENDU-2 from the soma protects germline immortality in C. elegans

Wenjing Qi (), Erika D. V. Gromoff, Fan Xu, Qian Zhao, Wei Yang, Dietmar Pfeifer, Wolfgang Maier, Lijiang Long and Ralf Baumeister
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Wenjing Qi: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Erika D. V. Gromoff: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Fan Xu: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Qian Zhao: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Wei Yang: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Dietmar Pfeifer: Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg
Wolfgang Maier: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Lijiang Long: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Ralf Baumeister: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Multicellular organisms coordinate tissue specific responses to environmental information via both cell-autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. In addition to secreted ligands, recent reports implicated release of small RNAs in regulating gene expression across tissue boundaries. Here, we show that the conserved poly-U specific endoribonuclease ENDU-2 in C. elegans is secreted from the soma and taken-up by the germline to ensure germline immortality at elevated temperature. ENDU-2 binds to mature mRNAs and negatively regulates mRNA abundance both in the soma and the germline. While ENDU-2 promotes RNA decay in the soma directly via its endoribonuclease activity, ENDU-2 prevents misexpression of soma-specific genes in the germline and preserves germline immortality independent of its RNA-cleavage activity. In summary, our results suggest that the secreted RNase ENDU-2 regulates gene expression across tissue boundaries in response to temperature alterations and contributes to maintenance of stem cell immortality, probably via retaining a stem cell specific program of gene expression.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21516-6

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