The Caenorhabditis elegans Argonautes ALG-1 and ALG-2: almost identical yet different

Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2006:71:189-94. doi: 10.1101/sqb.2006.71.035.

Abstract

Since the discovery of the RNA interference pathway, several other small RNA pathways have been identified. These make use of the same basic machinery to generate small RNA molecules that can direct different types of (post)transcriptional silencing. The specificity for the different silencing pathways (which type of silencing a small RNA initiates) is likely accomplished by the effector molecules that bind the small RNAs: the Argonaute proteins. Two Argonaute proteins, ALG-1 and ALG-2, have been implicated in one of the silencing pathways, the microRNA (miRNA) pathway, in Caenorhabditis elegans. The two proteins are highly similar, and previous work suggested redundancy of the two proteins. Here, we present genetic and biochemical data that hint at individual nonredundant functions for ALG-1 and ALG-2 in the processing of precursor miRNAs to mature miRNAs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Argonaute Proteins / genetics*
  • Argonaute Proteins / metabolism*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Models, Biological
  • Peptide Initiation Factors / genetics*
  • Peptide Initiation Factors / metabolism*
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Helminth / genetics
  • RNA, Helminth / metabolism

Substances

  • ALG-2 protein, C elegans
  • Argonaute Proteins
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • MicroRNAs
  • Peptide Initiation Factors
  • RNA, Helminth