Phosphorylation of Z granule components regulates germ granule organization and RNAi inheritance

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.