Project description:The double-stranded RNA-binding protein Staufen has been implicated in various posttranscriptional gene regulatory processes. Here, we demonstrate that the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of Staufen, STAU-1, functionally interacts with microRNAs. Loss-of-function mutations of stau-1 significantly suppress phenotypes of let-7 family microRNA mutants, a hypomorphic allele of dicer and a lsy-6 microRNA partial loss-of-function mutant. Furthermore, STAU-1 modulates the activity of lin-14, a target of lin-4 and let-7 family microRNAs, and this modulation is abolished when the 3' untranslated region of lin-14 is removed. Deep sequencing of small RNA cDNA libraries reveals no dramatic change in the levels of microRNAs, or other small RNA populations between wild-type and stau-1 mutants, with the exception of certain endogenous siRNAs in the WAGO pathway. The modulation of microRNA activity by STAU-1 does not seem to be associated with the previously reported enhanced exogenous RNAi (Eri) phenotype of stau-1 mutants, since eri-1 exhibits the opposite effect on microRNA activity. Altogether, our results suggest that STAU-1 negatively modulates microRNA activity downstream of biogenesis, possibly by competing with microRNAs for binding on the 3' untranslated region of target mRNAs
Project description:The double-stranded RNA-binding protein Staufen has been implicated in various posttranscriptional gene regulatory processes. Here, we demonstrate that the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of Staufen, STAU-1, functionally interacts with microRNAs. Loss-of-function mutations of stau-1 significantly suppress phenotypes of let-7 family microRNA mutants, a hypomorphic allele of dicer and a lsy-6 microRNA partial loss-of-function mutant. Furthermore, STAU-1 modulates the activity of lin-14, a target of lin-4 and let-7 family microRNAs, and this modulation is abolished when the 3' untranslated region of lin-14 is removed. Deep sequencing of small RNA cDNA libraries reveals no dramatic change in the levels of microRNAs, or other small RNA populations between wild-type and stau-1 mutants, with the exception of certain endogenous siRNAs in the WAGO pathway. The modulation of microRNA activity by STAU-1 does not seem to be associated with the previously reported enhanced exogenous RNAi (Eri) phenotype of stau-1 mutants, since eri-1 exhibits the opposite effect on microRNA activity. Altogether, our results suggest that STAU-1 negatively modulates microRNA activity downstream of biogenesis, possibly by competing with microRNAs for binding on the 3' untranslated region of target mRNAs Deep-sequencing was performed on cDNA libraries made from total RNA from young adults populations of two strains: wild-type (N2) and stau-1(tm2266), in three biological replicates each strain.
Project description:A temporal gradient of the novel nuclear protein LIN-14 specifies the timing and sequence of stage-specific developmental events in Caenorhabditis elegans. The profound effects of lin-14 mutations on worm development suggest that LIN-14 directly or indirectly regulates stage-specific gene expression. We show that LIN-14 can associate with chromatin in vivo and has in vitro DNA binding activity. A bacterially expressed C-terminal domain of LIN-14 was used to select DNA sequences that contain a putative consensus binding site from a pool of randomized double-stranded oligonucleotides. To identify candidates for genes directly regulated by lin-14, we employed DNA microarray hybridization to compare the mRNA abundance of C. elegans genes in wild-type animals to that in mutants with reduced or elevated lin-14 activity. Five of the candidate LIN-14 target genes identified by microarrays, including the insulin/insulin-like growth factor family gene ins-33, contain putative LIN-14 consensus sites in their upstream DNA sequences. Genetic analysis indicates that the developmental regulation of ins-33 mRNA involves the stage-specific repression of ins-33 transcription by LIN-14 via sequence-specific DNA binding. These results reinforce the conclusion that lin-14 encodes a novel class of transcription factor.