An endomembrane zinc transporter negatively regulates systemic RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans .

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) regulates gene expression in a sequence-dependent manner. In , dsRNA spreads through the body and leads to systemic RNA silencing. Although several genes involved in systemic RNAi have been genetically identified, molecules that mediate systemic RNAi remain largely unknown. Here, we identified ZIPT-9, a homolog of ZIP9/SLC39A9, as a broad-spectrum negative regulator of systemic RNAi. We showed that RSD-3, SID-3, and SID-5 genetically act in parallel for efficient RNAi, and that mutants suppress the RNAi defects of all the mutants. Analysis of a complete set of deletion mutants for SLC30 and SLC39 family genes revealed that only mutants showed altered RNAi activity. Based on these results and our analysis using transgenic Zn reporters, we propose that ZIPT-9-dependent Zn homeostasis, rather than overall cytosolic Zn, modulates systemic RNAi activity. Our findings reveal a previously unknown function of zinc transporters in negative RNAi regulation.