Repository logo
 

Developmental characterization of the microRNA-specific C. elegans Argonautes alg-1 and alg-2.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Vasquez-Rifo, Alejandro 
Jannot, Guillaume 
Armisen, Javier 
Labouesse, Michel 
Bukhari, Syed Irfan Ahmad 

Abstract

The genes alg-1 and alg-2 (referred to as "alg-1/2") encode the Argonaute proteins affiliated to the microRNA (miRNA) pathway in C. elegans. Bound to miRNAs they form the effector complex that effects post-transcriptional gene silencing. In order to define biological features important to understand the mode of action of these Argonautes, we characterize aspects of these genes during development. We establish that alg-1/2 display an overlapping spatio-temporal expression profile and shared association to a miRNAs set, but with gene-specific predominant expression in various cells and increased relative association to defined miRNAs. Congruent with their spatio-temporal coincidence and regardless of alg-1/2 drastic post-embryonic differences, only loss of both genes leads to embryonic lethality. Embryos without zygotic alg-1/2 predominantly arrest during the morphogenetic process of elongation with defects in the epidermal-muscle attachment structures. Altogether our results highlight similarities and specificities of the alg-1/2 likely to be explained at different cellular and molecular levels.

Description

Keywords

Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Caenorhabditis elegans, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins, Embryo, Nonmammalian, Epidermal Cells, Epidermis, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, MicroRNAs, Molecular Sequence Data, Muscle, Smooth, RNA-Binding Proteins, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Journal Title

PLoS One

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1932-6203
1932-6203

Volume Title

7

Publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (092096/Z/10/Z)
Cancer Research Uk (None)