An intrinsically disordered region of Drosha selectively promotes miRNA biogenesis, independent of tissue-specific Microprocessor condensates.

ABSTRACT: Precise control of miRNA biogenesis is of extreme importance, since mis-regulation of miRNAs underlies or exacerbates many disease states. The Microprocessor complex, composed of DROSHA and DGCR8, carries out the first cleavage step in canonical miRNA biogenesis. Despite recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanism of Microprocessor, the N-terminal region of DROSHA is less characterized due its high intrinsic disorder. Here we demonstrate that Microprocessor forms condensates with properties consistent with liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in select tissues in C. elegans. While DRSH-1/Drosha recruitment to granules is only partially dependent on its intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), one of these N-terminal IDRs is crucial for biogenesis of a subset of miRNAs

SUBMITTER: Yang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12027344 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature