A lncRNA drives developmentally timed decay of all members of an essential microRNA family - PubMed
4 days ago
- #miRNA decay
- #lncRNA
- #developmental regulation
- A long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) named tts-2 triggers the decay of the mir-35-42 miRNA family in Caenorhabditis elegans.
- Target-directed miRNA degradation (TDMD) is facilitated by base pairing with the miRNA seed region, involving the E3 ubiquitin ligase ZSWIM8/EBAX-1.
- The study shows that extended base pairing is not always necessary for TDMD, as seed sequence complementarity alone can drive miRNA decay.
- The GC-rich seed sequence of mir-35-42 allows for seed-sufficient TDMD, enabling developmentally timed clearance of these miRNAs at the end of embryogenesis.
- The findings highlight the role of TDMD in regulating miRNA abundance during developmental transitions.