title: Ribosomal protein RPS-14 modulates let-7 microRNA function in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: The let-7 microRNA (miRNA) regulates developmental timing at the larval-to-adult transition in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dysregulation of let-7 results in irregular hypodermal and vulval development. Disrupted let-7 function is also a feature of human lung cancer. However, little is known about the mechanism and co-factors of let-7. Here we demonstrate that ribosomal protein RPS-14 is able to modulate let-7 function in C. elegans. The RPS-14 protein co-immunoprecipitated with the nematode Argonaute homolog, ALG-1. Reduction of rps-14 gene expression by RNAi suppressed the aberrant vulva and hypodermis development phenotypes of let-7(n2853) mutant animals and the mis-regulation of a reporter bearing the lin-41 3'UTR, a well established let-7 target. Our results indicate an interactive relationship between let-7 miRNA function and ribosomal protein RPS-14 in regulation of terminal differentiation that may help in understanding the mechanism of translational control by miRNAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Shih-Peng
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Slack
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; C545893:Rps-14 protein, C elegans; C474488:let-7 microRNA, C elegans