Two Molecular Features Contribute to the Argonaute Specificity for the MicroRNA and RNAi Pathways in C. Elegans

Overview

Journal RNA

Specialty Molecular Biology

Date 2008 Mar 28

PMID 18367718

Citations 25

Authors

Guillaume Jannot

Marie-Eve L Boisvert

Isabelle H Banville

Martin J Simard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In Caenorhabditis elegans, specific Argonaute proteins are dedicated to the RNAi and microRNA pathways. To uncover how the precise Argonaute selection occurs, we designed dsRNA triggers containing both miRNA and siRNA sequences. While dsRNA carrying nucleotides mismatches can only enter the miRNA pathway, a fully complementary dsRNA successfully rescues let-7 miRNA function and initiates silencing by RNAi. We demonstrated that RDE-1 is essential for RNAi induced by the perfectly paired trigger, yet is not required for silencing by the let-7 miRNA. In contrast, ALG-1/ALG-2 are required for the miRNA function, but not for the siRNA-directed gene silencing. Finally, a dsRNA containing a bulged miRNA and a perfectly paired siRNA can enter both pathways suggesting that the sorting of small RNAs occurs after that the dsRNA trigger has been processed by Dicer. Thus, our data suggest that the selection of Argonaute proteins is affected by two molecular features: (1) the structure of the small RNA duplex; and (2) the Argonautes specific characteristics.

Citing Articles

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