Conserved and ubiquitous expression of piRNAs and PIWI genes in mollusks antedates the origin of somatic PIWI/piRNA expression to the root of bilaterians
J. Jehn, D. Gebert, F. Pipilescu, S. Stern, J. S. T. Kiefer, C. Hewel, D. Rosenkranz
The paper shows that somatic PIWI/piRNA expression is conserved in mollusks and suggests it originated in an early bilaterian ancestor, with lineage-specific adaptations and tissue-specific piRNA dynamics.
bioRxiv · Jan 19, 2018Evolutionary Biology