github link
Accession IconGSE94704

A microRNA family exerts maternal control on sex determination in C. elegans

Organism Icon Caenorhabditis elegans
Sample Icon 12 Downloadable Samples
Technology Badge Icon Affymetrix C. elegans Genome Array (celegans)

Submitter Supplied Information

Description
Gene expression in early animal embryogenesis is in large part controlled post-transcriptionally. Maternally-contributed microRNAs may therefore play important roles in early development. We have elucidated a major biological role of the nematode mir-35 family of maternally-contributed, essential microRNAs. We show that this microRNA family regulates the sex determination pathway at multiple levels, acting both upstream and downstream of her-1 to prevent aberrantly activated male developmental programs in hermaphrodite embryos. The predicted target genes that act downstream of the mir-35 family in this process, sup-26 and nhl-2, both encode RNA binding proteins, thus delineating a previously unknown post-transcriptional regulatory subnetwork within the well-studied sex determination pathway of C. elegans. Repression of nhl-2 by the mir-35 family is not only required for proper sex determination but also for viability, showing that a single microRNA target site can be essential. Since sex determination in C. elegans requires zygotic gene expression to read the sex chromosome karyotype, early embryos must remain gender-nave; our findings show that the mir-35 family microRNAs act in the early embryo to function as a developmental timer that preserves navet and prevents premature deleterious developmental decisions.
PubMed ID
Total Samples
16
Submitter’s Institution

Samples

Show of 0 Total Samples
Filter
Add/Remove
Accession Code
Title
Specimen part
Processing Information
Additional Metadata
No rows found
Loading...