MYRF drives heterochronic miRNAs and LIN-42, and amplifies oscillatory programs for stage transitions.

ABSTRACT: Larval development in C. elegans proceeds through discrete stages, yet the mechanisms that drive stage transitions remain incompletely defined. Here, we identify the transmembrane transcription factor MYRF as a master temporal regulator essential for larval progression. MYRF cleavage and nuclear accumulation oscillate across larval stages, peaking during mid-to-late intermolt phases. MYRF directly activates key heterochronic microRNAs-including lin-4 , mir-48/241/84 , and let-7 -and amplifies the oscillatory gene network by promoting central regulators such as nhr-23 . MYRF loss-of-function or acute depletion suppresses and flattens this network, causing developmental arrest during the late intermolt phase of each larval cycle and stalling molting, seam c

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12873934 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature