Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40275032›Full record

ArticleThe EMBO journal2026

Recurrent innovation of protein-protein interactions in the Drosophila piRNA pathway.

Sebastian Riedelbauch, Sarah Masser, Sandra Fasching, Sung-Ya Lin, Harpreet Kaur Salgania, Mie Aarup, Anja Ebert, Mandy Jeske, Mia T Levine, Ulrich Stelzl and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The EMBO journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. The long reach of the Red Queen.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Probing direct interactions between nuclear proteins in cells with nxReLo.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Sebastian RiedelbauchDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Sarah MasserInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5195-0650
Sandra FaschingInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Sung-Ya LinDepartment of Biology, Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-6268-4323
Harpreet Kaur SalganiaHeidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Mie AarupDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Anja EbertDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2425-473X
Mandy JeskeHeidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1107-9442
Mia T LevineDepartment of Biology, Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4311-7535
Ulrich StelzlInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2500-3585
Peter AndersenDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark. pra@mbg.au.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5815-4860

Funding

Causes and functional consequences of chromatin evolutionR35GM124684 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Mia Tauna Levine · 2017 to 2026
$3.5M
Austrian Science Fund (FWF) P30162Austrian Science Fund (FWF) P34316Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (DFF) 9064-00056BDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) JE-827/1-1EC | Horizon Europe | Excellent Science | HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) 754513European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) EMBO scientific exchange grant (#10132)NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM124684Novo Nordisk Fonden (NNF) NNF18OC0030954University of Graz Field of Excellence BioHealth
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite being essential for fertility, genome-defense-pathway genes often evolve rapidly. However, little is known about the molecular basis of this adaptation. Here, we characterized the evolution of a protein interaction network within the PIWI-interacting small RNA (piRNA) genome-defense pathway in Drosophila at unprecedented scale and evolutionary resolution. We uncovered the pervasive rapid evolution of a protein interaction network anchored at the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) paralog Rhino. Through cross-species high-throughput yeast-two-hybrid screening, we identified three distinct evolutionary protein interaction trajectories across ~40 million years of Drosophila evolution. While several protein interactions are fully conserved, indicating functional conservation despite rapid amino acid-sequence change, other interactions are preserved through coevolution and were detected only between proteins within or from closely related species. We also identified species-restricted protein interactions, revealing insight into the mechanistic diversity and ongoing molecular innovation in Drosophila piRNA production. In sum, our analyses reveal principles of interaction evolution in an adaptively evolving protein-protein interaction network, and support intermolecular interaction innovation as a central molecular mechanism of evolutionary adaptation in protein-coding genes.

Indexed as

DrosophilaDrosophila melanogasterDrosophila ProteinsEvolution, MolecularProtein Interaction MapsRNA, Small InterferingAnimalsChromobox Protein Homolog 5Chromosomal Proteins, Non-HistonePiwi-Interacting RNATwo-Hybrid System TechniquesChromobox Protein Homolog 5Chromosomal Proteins, Non-HistoneDrosophila Proteinsheterochromatin protein 1, DrosophilaPiwi-Interacting RNARNA, Small InterferingGenome DefensepiRNA PathwayProtein-coding Gene AdaptationProtein–protein InteractionsRapid Evolution

Identifiers

PMID40275032
PMCPMC12992792

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.