Autoregulation of lin-4 microRNA transcription by RNA activation (RNAa) in C. elegans.

ABSTRACT: The conserved lin-4 microRNA (miRNA) regulates the proper timing of stem cell fate decisions in C. elegans by regulating stemness genes such as lin-14 and lin-28. (1)(-) (3) While lin-4 is upregulated toward the end of the first larval stage and functions as an essential developmental timing "switch", little is known about how lin-4 expression is regulated. (4) Here we show that in C. elegans hypodermal seam cells, transcription of lin-4 is positively regulated by lin-4 itself. In these cells, lin-4 activates its own transcription through a conserved lin-4-complementary element (LCE) in its promoter. We further show that lin-4 is required to recruit RNA polymerase II to its own promoter, and that lin-4 overexpression is sufficient for autoactivation. Finally, we show that a protein complex

SUBMITTER: Turner MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3979913 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature