A circadian-like gene network programs the timing and dosage of heterochronic miRNA transcription during C. elegans development.

ABSTRACT: Development relies on the exquisite control of both the timing and the levels of gene expression to achieve robust developmental transitions. How cis- and trans-acting factors control both aspects simultaneously is unclear. We show that transcriptional pulses of the temporal patterning microRNA (miRNA) lin-4 are generated by two nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) in C. elegans, NHR-85 and NHR-23, whose mammalian orthologs, Rev-Erb and ROR, function in the circadian clock. Although Rev-Erb and ROR antagonize each other to control once-daily transcription in mammals, NHR-85/NHR-23 heterodimers bind cooperatively to lin-4 regulatory elements to induce a single pulse of expression during each larval stage. Each pulse's timing, amplitude, and duration are dictated by the phased expression of thes

SUBMITTER: Kinney B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10840721 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature