Phosphorylation of Z granule components regulates germ granule organization and RNAi inheritance
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Small RNAs represent important carriers of epigenetic information in nematodes, and factors involved in their biogenesis reside within perinuclear germ granules. Among these condensates, Z granules are essential for the inheritance of RNA interference (RNAi). The mechanisms by which Z granules form and promote this process remain unclear. We show that Casein kinase I alpha (KIN-19) is present in Z granules and associated with DEPS-1 and HERD-1 phosphorylation. In the absence of DEPS-1 and HERD-1 phosphorylation, animals have enlarged Z granules and enhanced RNAi inheritance. We propose that DEPS-1 acts as a phosphorylation-regulated scaffold that bridges ZNFX-1 and HERD-1 proteins. Our study demonstrates that Casein kinase I alpha-mediated phosphorylation is an important factor in germ granule modulation and RNAi inheritance, and additionally provides a novel molecular scaffold for understanding germ granule complexity in C. elegans .
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1503683411, WeitfeldMikroskop zur Lebendmikroskopie, SFB 1551: Polymerkonzepte zum Verstehen zellulärer Funktionen, GRK 2526: GenEvo Die Rolle von Genregulation für die Evolution: von molekularen zu erweiterten Phänotypen, Mechanismen der Vererbung von epigenetischer Information, Hochauflösungsfluoreszenzmikroskop Plattform, G7265565025
OpenAlex ID: W7220719351