RNA Binding Protein Vigilin Collaborates with miRNAs To Regulate Gene Expression for Caenorhabditis elegans Larval Development

Extensive studies have suggested that most miRNA functions are executed through complex miRNA-target interaction networks, and such networks function semi-redundantly with other regulatory systems to shape gene expression dynamics for proper physiological functions. We found that knocking down vgln-1, which encodes a conserved RNA-binding protein associated with diverse functions, causes severe larval arrest at the early L1 stage in animals with compromised miRISC functions (an ain-2/GW182 mutant). Through an enhancer screen, we identified five specific miRNAs and miRNA families that act semi-redundantly with VGLN-1 to regulate larval development. By RIP-Seq analysis, we identified mRNAs that are directly bound by VGLN-1 and highly enriched for miRNA binding sites, leading to a hypothesis that VGLN-1 may share common targets with miRNAs to regulate gene expression dynamics for development.

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