Endogenous transcripts direct microRNA degradation in Drosophila, and this targeted degradation is required for proper embryonic development

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) typically direct degradation of their mRNA targets. However, five miRNA targets in vertebrate animals are reported to have unusual miRNA-binding sites that direct degradation of cognate miRNAs. Here, we identify six sites, five in mRNAs and one in a non-coding RNA named Marge, that serve this purpose in Drosophila cells or embryos, which shows that target-directed miRNA degradation (TDMD) shapes endogenous miRNA levels in some invertebrate animals. The six sites direct miRNA degradation without collateral target degradation, helping to explain the potency of this miRNA-degradation pathway. Mutations that disrupt this pathway in Drosophila are lethal, with many flies dying as embryos. Derepression of miR-3 and its paralog miR-309 is responsible for some of this lethality, whereas the loss of Marge-directed degradation of miR-310 miRNAs causes defects in embryonic cuticle development. Thus, TDMD is strongly implicated in the viability of an animal and is required for its proper development.

ORGANISM(S): Drosophila melanogaster

PROVIDER: GSE196837 | GEO | 2022/09/14

REPOSITORIES: GEO