Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
194,220 studies31 sourcesUpdated 13 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

The dynamics of piRNA expression in Blattella germanica ovaries

  • David Pujal1
  • Guillem Ylla2
  • Agustina Pascual3
  • Josep Bau4
  • Maria-Dolors Piulachs5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona.Spain
  2. 2Department of Biosciences, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Barcelona, Spain
  3. 3Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
  4. 4Centro de BioInvestigaciones (CeBio-CICBA), Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNNOBA), Pergamino, Argentina
  5. 5Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencias del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CITNOBA-CONICET), Pergamino, Argentina
Open at sourcePDFDOICite

Abstract

The cockroach Blattella germanica possesses panoistic ovaries, in which oocytes lack nurse cells and therefore need to rely on their own transcriptional activity to support embryogenesis. Ovarian development in this species involves the development of a single basal ovarian follicle (BOF) per gonadotropic cycle, a process strictly regulated by endocrine signals, primarily juvenile hormone and ecdysone, which act at both the transcriptional and translational levels. In addition, transcriptional activity in these ovaries is necessary for both regulating and genome protection, and at this level, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play an essential role. Although insect ovaries are known to be particularly rich in piRNAs, their function in ovary maturation is still not well defined. For this purpose, we characterize the piRNA expression dynamics in the B. germanica ovary, which shows coordinated fluctuations. The piRNA expression remains stable in previtellogenic ovaries, whereas vitellogenic ovaries show pronounced changes. Moreover, vitellogenic ovaries exhibit reduced piRNA diversity due to strong enrichment of a subset of highly expressed piRNAs. Our data show that although piRNAs predominantly map to transposable elements, particularly LINEs, there is a notable increase in mRNA-derived piRNAs toward the end of the cycle. Our results indicate that piRNAs may play regulatory roles in modulating both TEs and mRNAs during BOF maturation, likely linked to changes in the follicular cell program.

Related

  1. The transcription factor Traffic jam orchestrates the somatic piRNA pathway in Drosophila ovaries
    Azad Alizada, Aline Martins, Nolwenn Mouniée +12
    Cell ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY14 citedMolecular biology & gene regulationCell biologyHAL
  2. High piRNA abundance is a hallmark of evolutionarily persistent piRNA-producing loci.
    A. Mitjavila-Ventura, S. M. Amante, C. Moreta-Moraleda +3
    bioRxivPreprintCC BYFull textGenetics & genomicsbioRxiv
  3. A developmental switch in the piRNA pathway ensures stage-specific transposon silencing
    T. H. Gronbaek, M. Yoth, A. Ilin +5
    bioRxivPreprintCC BY-NCFull textGenetics & genomicsbioRxiv
  4. Distinct transcriptional responses to mild cold versus warm temperatures in adult Drosophila melanogaster ovaries
    A. C. P. Gandara, Z. Y. Gao, G. Y. C. Lee +1
    bioRxivPreprintCC BYFull textDevelopmental biologybioRxiv
  5. piRNA loss unleashes episodic transposition bursts
    P. Chen, P. Xu, H. Waseem +5
    bioRxivPreprintCC BY-NC-NDFull text1 citedGenetics & genomicsbioRxiv

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{pujal2026dynamics,
  title = {{The dynamics of piRNA expression in Blattella germanica ovaries}},
  author = {David Pujal and Guillem Ylla and Agustina Pascual and Josep Bau and Maria-Dolors Piulachs},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0347365},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347365},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The dynamics of piRNA expression in Blattella germanica ovaries
AU  - David Pujal
AU  - Guillem Ylla
AU  - Agustina Pascual
AU  - Josep Bau
AU  - Maria-Dolors Piulachs
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0347365
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347365
AB  - The cockroach Blattella germanica possesses panoistic ovaries, in which oocytes lack nurse cells and therefore need to rely on their own transcriptional activity to support embryogenesis. Ovarian development in this species involves the development of a single basal ovarian follicle (BOF) per gonadotropic cycle, a process strictly regulated by endocrine signals, primarily juvenile hormone and ecdysone, which act at both the transcriptional and translational levels. In addition, transcriptional activity in these ovaries is necessary for both regulating and genome protection, and at this level, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play an essential role. Although insect ovaries are known to be particularly rich in piRNAs, their function in ovary maturation is still not well defined. For this purpose, we characterize the piRNA expression dynamics in the B. germanica ovary, which shows coordinated fluctuations. The piRNA expression remains stable in previtellogenic ovaries, whereas vitellogenic ovaries show pronounced changes. Moreover, vitellogenic ovaries exhibit reduced piRNA diversity due to strong enrichment of a subset of highly expressed piRNAs. Our data show that although piRNAs predominantly map to transposable elements, particularly LINEs, there is a notable increase in mRNA-derived piRNAs toward the end of the cycle. Our results indicate that piRNAs may play regulatory roles in modulating both TEs and mRNAs during BOF maturation, likely linked to changes in the follicular cell program.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -