title: Autophagy modulates miRNA-mediated gene silencing and selectively degrades AIN-1/GW182 in C. elegans.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptionally repress gene expression via the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC), which includes miRNA, Argonaute and a GW182 family member. Here we show that in Caenorhabditis elegans, miRNA-mediated gene silencing is modulated by macroautophagy, a lysosome-mediated degradation process. Loss of autophagy activity suppresses developmental defects caused by partially impaired silencing of miRNA targets including the let-7 family and lsy-6. The C. elegans GW182 homolog AIN-1 is itself selectively degraded by autophagy and colocalizes with the p62 homolog SQST-1 in autophagy mutants. Thus, autophagy activity modulates miRNA-mediated gene silencing and degrades a core miRISC component.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Peipei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D059748:Proteolysis; D034622:RNA Interference; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex / Q000235:genetics; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C504319:AIN-1 protein, C elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C578012:MIRNLsy-6 microRNA, C elegans; D035683:MicroRNAs; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; C474488:let-7 microRNA, C elegans; C066646:let-60 protein, C elegans; D018631:ras Proteins