Caenorhabditis elegans microRNAs of the let-7 family act in innate immune response circuits and confer robust developmental timing against pathogen stress
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2015-05-05Keywords
Alleles; Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Cell Lineage; Gene Expression Regulation; Gene Regulatory Networks; Genes, Reporter; Immune System; *Immunity, Innate; MicroRNAs; Microscopy, Confocal; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Mutation; Phenotype; Pseudomonas Infections; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Signal Transduction; Treatment Outcome; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein KinasesPseudomonas aeruginosa
developmental timing
innate immunity
let-7 family microRNAs
p38
Developmental Biology
Genetics and Genomics
Immunity
ImmunopathologyMolecular Genetics
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Animals maintain their developmental robustness against natural stresses through numerous regulatory mechanisms, including the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression by microRNAs (miRNAs). Caenorhabditis elegans miRNAs of the let-7 family (let-7-Fam) function semiredundantly to confer robust stage specificity of cell fates in the hypodermal seam cell lineages. Here, we show reciprocal regulatory interactions between let-7-Fam miRNAs and the innate immune response pathway in C. elegans. Upon infection of C. elegans larvae with the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the developmental timing defects of certain let-7-Fam miRNA mutants are enhanced. This enhancement is mediated by the p38 MAPK innate immune pathway acting in opposition to let-7-Fam miRNA activity, possibly via the downstream Activating Transcription Factor-7 (ATF-7). Furthermore, let-7-Fam miRNAs appear to exert negative regulation on the worm's resistance to P. aeruginosa infection. Our results show that the inhibition of pathogen resistance by let-7 involves downstream heterochronic genes and the p38 MAPK pathway. These findings suggest that let-7-Fam miRNAs are integrated into innate immunity gene regulatory networks, such that this family of miRNAs modulates immune responses while also ensuring robust timing of developmental events under pathogen stress.Source
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 May 5;112(18):E2366-75. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1422858112. Epub 2015 Apr 20. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1073/pnas.1422858112Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/33359PubMed ID
25897023Related Resources
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Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.
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