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Interacting endogenous and exogenous RNAi pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans

2006; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; Volume: 12; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1261/rna.2231506

1469-9001

Rosalind C. Lee, Christopher M. Hammell, Victor Ambros,

Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms

C. elegans contains numerous small RNAs of ~21–24 nt in length. The microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs produced by DCR-1- and ALG-dependent processing of self-complementary hairpin transcripts. Endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs), associated with ongoing silencing of protein-coding genes in normal worms, are produced by mechanisms that involve DCR-1 but, unlike miRNAs, also involve RDE-2, RDE-3, RDE-4, RRF-1, and RRF-3. The tiny noncoding (tncRNAs) are similar to endo-siRNAs in their biogenesis except that they are derived from noncoding sequences. These endo-siRNA- and tncRNA-based endogenous RNAi pathways involve some components, including DCR-1 and RDE-4, that are shared with exogenous RNAi, and some components, including RRF-3 and ERI-1, that are specific to endogenous RNAi. rrf-3 and eri-1 mutants are enhanced for some silencing processes and defective for others, suggesting cross-regulatory interactions between RNAi pathways in C. elegans . Microarray expression profiling of RNAi-defective mutant worms further suggests diverse endogenous RNAi pathways for silencing different sets of genes.