LIN-42, the Caenorhabditis elegans PERIOD homolog, Negatively Regulates MicroRNA Transcription

Perales, R., King, D. M., Aguirre-Chen, C., Hammell, C. M. (July 2014) LIN-42, the Caenorhabditis elegans PERIOD homolog, Negatively Regulates MicroRNA Transcription. PLoS Genetics, 10 (7). e1004486. ISSN 15537390 (ISSN)

[thumbnail of Paper]
Preview
PDF (Paper)
Hammell PLoS Genetics 2014.pdf - Published Version

Download (6MB) | Preview
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25032706
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004486

Abstract

During C. elegans development, microRNAs (miRNAs) function as molecular switches that define temporal gene expression and cell lineage patterns in a dosage-dependent manner. It is critical, therefore, that the expression of miRNAs be tightly regulated so that target mRNA expression is properly controlled. The molecular mechanisms that function to optimize or control miRNA levels during development are unknown. Here we find that mutations in lin-42, the C. elegans homolog of the circadian-related period gene, suppress multiple dosage-dependent miRNA phenotypes including those involved in developmental timing and neuronal cell fate determination. Analysis of mature miRNA levels in lin-42 mutants indicates that lin-42 functions to attenuate miRNA expression. Through the analysis of transcriptional reporters, we show that the upstream cis-acting regulatory regions of several miRNA genes are sufficient to promote highly dynamic transcription that is coupled to the molting cycles of post-embryonic development. Immunoprecipitation of LIN-42 complexes indicates that LIN-42 binds the putative cis-regulatory regions of both non-coding and protein-coding genes and likely plays a role in regulating their transcription. Consistent with this hypothesis, analysis of miRNA transcriptional reporters in lin-42 mutants indicates that lin-42 regulates miRNA transcription. Surprisingly, strong loss-of-function mutations in lin-42 do not abolish the oscillatory expression patterns of lin-4 and let-7 transcription but lead to increased expression of these genes. We propose that lin-42 functions to negatively regulate the transcriptional output of multiple miRNAs and mRNAs and therefore coordinates the expression levels of genes that dictate temporal cell fate with other regulatory programs that promote rhythmic gene expression.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: organism description > animal > C elegans
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > transcription
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > miRNA
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > miRNA
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL Cancer Center Program > Cancer Genetics
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Antibody and Phage Display Service
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Bioinformatics Service
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Next Generation Sequencing Service
CSHL labs > Hammell C. lab
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > DNA Sequencing Service
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: July 2014
Date Deposited: 25 Jul 2014 14:34
Last Modified: 04 Nov 2015 21:25
PMCID: PMC4102445
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/30552

Actions (login required)

Administrator's edit/view item Administrator's edit/view item
CSHL HomeAbout CSHLResearchEducationNews & FeaturesCampus & Public EventsCareersGiving