Modulation of Aub–Tdrd interactions elucidates piRNA amplification and germ plasm formation

Aub protein guided by piRNAs ensures genome integrity by cleaving retrotransposons and genome propagation by trapping mRNAs to form the germ plasm that instructs germ cell formation. The amino terminus of Aub (Aub-NT) is rich in arginines (Aub-NTRs), which are symmetrically dimethylated (sDMAs), and interacts with Tudor protein and other Tudor domain containing proteins (Tdrds). Aub-Tdrd interactions play critical roles in suppressing active retrotransposons via piRNA amplification and in germ plasm formation via generation of Aub-Tudor ribonucleoproteins. Here we show that Aub-NTRs are dispensable for primary piRNA biogenesis but essential for piRNA amplification and transposon control and that sDMAs in Aub-NT are essential for germ plasm formation and germ cell specification, but largely dispensable for piRNA amplification and transposon control. We examine the importance of Aub N-terminal arginine di-methylation in piRNA pathway and germ plasm formation in Drosophila ovaries