UMMS Affiliation
Program in Molecular Medicine
Publication Date
2021-04-23
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Developmental Biology | Genetics and Genomics | Nucleic Acids, Nucleotides, and Nucleosides
Abstract
The let-7 gene encodes a highly conserved microRNA with critical functions integral to cell fate specification and developmental progression in diverse animals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, let-7 is a component of the heterochronic (developmental timing) gene regulatory network, and loss-of-function mutations of let-7 result in lethality during the larval to adult transition due to misregulation of the conserved let-7 target, lin-41. To date, no bilaterian animal lacking let-7 has been characterized. In this study, we identify a cohort of nematode species within the genus Caenorhabditis, closely related to C. elegans, that lack the let-7 microRNA, owing to absence of the let-7 gene. Using Caenorhabditis sulstoni as a representative let-7-lacking species to characterize normal larval development in the absence of let-7, we demonstrate that, except for the lack of let-7, the heterochronic gene network is otherwise functionally conserved. We also report that species lacking let-7 contain a group of divergent let-7 paralogs-also known as the let-7-family of microRNAs-that have apparently assumed the role of targeting the LIN-41 mRNA.
Keywords
Caenorhabditis elegans, Caenorhabditis macrosperma, Caenorhabditis sulstoni, Elegans group, Elegans supergroup, Japonica group, let-7 microRNA
Rights and Permissions
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Genetics Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reproduction and distribution of the work, in any medium, provided the original work is not altered or transformed in any way, and that the work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
DOI of Published Version
10.1093/g3journal/jkab022
Source
Nelson C, Ambros V. A cohort of Caenorhabditis species lacking the highly conserved let-7 microRNA. G3 (Bethesda). 2021 Apr 23;11(3):jkab022. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab022. PMID: 33890616; PMCID: PMC8063082. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
G3 (Bethesda, Md.)
Related Resources
PubMed ID
33890616
Repository Citation
Nelson CJ, Ambros VR. (2021). A cohort of Caenorhabditis species lacking the highly conserved let-7 microRNA. Open Access Publications by UMMS Authors. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab022. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/oapubs/4684
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Developmental Biology Commons, Genetics and Genomics Commons, Nucleic Acids, Nucleotides, and Nucleosides Commons