Restriction of LINE1 activity by RNAi correlates with mouse ES cell differentiation

Long interspersed elements 1 (LINE-1 or L1) are retrotransposons that dominate the mouse genomic landscape, and are expressed in Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), germ cells, and during early development. Based on clear precedents in plants and fission yeast, we investigated in this study a role for RNAi and other RNA degradation pathways in the regulation of L1 expression and mobilization. We uncovered the existence of novel small (s)RNAs that map to active L1 elements. Some of these sRNAs have characteristics of cognate short-interfering RNA populations, while others display length heterogeneity that evokes a biogenesis through a RNA surveillance pathway, in a Dicer-independent manner. We additionally found that genetic ablation of Dicer and the sRNA effector protein AGO2 has complex and profound consequences on L1 transcription and mobilization in ESCs, indicating that endogenous RNA interference (RNAi) pathway indeed maintain genomic integrity against L1 proliferation. Finally, we investigated the implication of L1 retrotransposition during ESC differentiation and propose that the mobilization of L1 elements in Dicer mutant ESCs could partially explain the inability of these cells to differentiate. Overall design: 2 samples examined: WT E14 and Dicer mutant mouse ESCs