Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Sep 13;21(17):R668-71.
doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.07.027.

Uncovering new functions for microRNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans

Allison L Abbott  1
Affiliations
Review

Uncovering new functions for microRNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans

Allison L Abbott. Curr Biol. .

Abstract

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, microRNA (miRNA) regulation of development was first observed in the striking abnormalities of lin-4 and let-7 loss of function mutants. However, after these first two miRNA mutant phenotypes were described, progress on the identification of miRNA functions in worms slowed considerably. Recent advances reveal new functions for miRNAs in embryonic and larval development as well as in the regulation of lifespan and stress response. Results from a combination of computational, biochemical, and genetic approaches have deepened our understanding of miRNA regulation of target mRNAs and support the hypothesis that miRNAs have an important role in ensuring the robustness of developmental and physiological pathways.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Lee RC, Feinbaum RL, Ambros V. The C. elegans heterochronic gene lin-4 encodes small RNAs with antisense complementarity to lin-14. Cell. 1993;75:843–854. - PubMed
    1. Reinhart BJ, Slack FJ, Basson M, Pasquinelli AE, Bettinger JC, Rougvie AE, Horvitz HR, Ruvkun G. The 21-nucleotide let-7 RNA regulates developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature. 2000;403:901–906. - PubMed
    1. Miska EA, Alvarez-Saavedra E, Abbott AL, Lau NC, Hellman AB, McGonagle SM, Bartel DP, Ambros VR, Horvitz HR. Most Caenorhabditis elegans microRNAs are individually not essential for development or viability. PLoS Genet. 2007;3:e215. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abbott AL, Alvarez-Saavedra E, Miska EA, Lau NC, Bartel DP, Horvitz HR, Ambros V. The let-7 MicroRNA Family Members mir-48, mir-84, and mir-241 Function Together to Regulate Developmental Timing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Cell. 2005;9:403–414. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alvarez-Saavedra E, Horvitz HR. Many Families of C. elegans MicroRNAs Are Not Essential for Development or Viability. Curr. Biol. 2010;20:367–373. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources