RNA-sequencing form Nematostella vectensis following ZSWIM8 knockdown
The ZSWIM8 Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin-ligase takes part in target-directed microRNA (miRNA) degradation (TDMD) in bilaterian animals. It polyubiquitinates Argonautes (AGO), the proteins that carry miRNAs, when the miRNAs exhibit extensive pairing to their targets rather than seed-pairing. This leads to AGO degradation by the proteasome and subsequent miRNA decay. In cnidarian animals (sea anemones, corals, jellyfish and hydroids) in contrast to bilaterians, miRNAs typically bind their targets with extensive complementarity. To investigate the role of ZSWIM8 homolog in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we knocked it down using microinjection of short-interfering RNAs (shRNAs) to Nematostella zygotes and performed small RNA and mRNA sequencing at 24 hours post-injection.