{
  "abstract": "PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) protect germline genome integrity and fertility, but quantitative profiling of mature PIWI-bound RNAs remains technically challenging. Here we develop BFF-piRNA-seq, which ligates sequencing adapters directly to RNAs on immobilized PIWI complexes, eliminating preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and associated size-selection bias. Split-sample comparisons of on- and off-PIWI ligation show highly concordant length distributions and no detectable terminal sequence bias, and the method reproducibly profiles distinct PIWI-piRNA complexes in mouse and Drosophila . Eliminating gel selection recovers a broader population of Drosophila Piwi-piRNAs than conventional workflows. Across flies and mice, quantitative profiles reveal a conserved landscape across piRNA clusters in which narrow hotspots generate abundant families of sequence-related piRNAs with 5′ microheterogeneity. Together, these data establish BFF-piRNA-seq as an accessible, quantitative approach for profiling bona fide piRNAs and uncover conserved principles governing piRNA selection during biogenesis and maturation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Astrid Haase",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1120-9013"
    },
    {
      "name": "Markus Hafner",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4336-6518"
    },
    {
      "name": "Parthena Konstantinidou",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-0492-4117"
    },
    {
      "name": "Franziska Ahrend",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-7464-3444"
    },
    {
      "name": "Brian Galletta",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6720-2019"
    },
    {
      "name": "Angel Jaimes"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dimitrios Anastasakis",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2306-275X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nasser Rusan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4p7emtg7ghkcx.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.21203/rs.3.rs-11307628/v1",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13734228/",
  "id": "4p7emtg7ghkcx",
  "issns": [
    "2693-5015"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11307628/v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1311|Chromosomal and Genetic Variations"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7166570067",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-11307628/latest.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13734228",
  "pmid": "42990498",
  "published": "2026-10-26",
  "publisher": "American Journal Experts",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4p7emtg7ghkcx.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:23:51Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13734228",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11307628/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1311|Chromosomal and Genetic Variations",
      "subfield": "genetics-genomics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "BFF-piRNA-seq reveals conserved processing hotspots in flies and mice",
  "title_text": "BFF-piRNA-seq reveals conserved processing hotspots in flies and mice",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:23:51Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4p7emtg7ghkcx",
  "venue": "Research Square",
  "versions": []
}