title: Developmental characterization of the microRNA-specific C. elegans Argonautes alg-1 and alg-2.
abstract: The genes alg-1 and alg-2 (referred to as "alg-1/2") encode the Argonaute proteins affiliated to the microRNA (miRNA) pathway in C. elegans. Bound to miRNAs they form the effector complex that effects post-transcriptional gene silencing. In order to define biological features important to understand the mode of action of these Argonautes, we characterize aspects of these genes during development. We establish that alg-1/2 display an overlapping spatio-temporal expression profile and shared association to a miRNAs set, but with gene-specific predominant expression in various cells and increased relative association to defined miRNAs. Congruent with their spatio-temporal coincidence and regardless of alg-1/2 drastic post-embryonic differences, only loss of both genes leads to embryonic lethality. Embryos without zygotic alg-1/2 predominantly arrest during the morphogenetic process of elongation with defects in the epidermal-muscle attachment structures. Altogether our results highlight similarities and specificities of the alg-1/2 likely to be explained at different cellular and molecular levels.
authors.affiliation: Laval University Cancer Research Centre, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (CHUQ), Quebec City, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasquez-Rifo
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jannot
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Armisen
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Labouesse
authors.forename: Syed Irfan Ahmad
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Bukhari
authors.forename: Evelyne L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rondeau
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Miska
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Simard
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: C558782:ALG-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins