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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.06.15.496358

The requirement of GW182 in miRNA-mediated gene silencingin Drosophila larval development

Matsuura-Suzuki, E.·Tomari, Y.
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Abstract

microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate a wide variety of biological processes by silencing their target genes. Argonaute (AGO) proteins load miRNAs to form RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which mediates translational repression and/or mRNA decay of the targets. A scaffold protein called GW182 directly binds AGO and the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex, initiating the mRNA decay reaction. Although previous studies have demonstrated the critical role of GW182 in cultured cells as well as in cell-free systems, its biological significance in living organisms remains poorly explored, especially in Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we generated gw182-null flies using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and found that, unexpectedly, they can survive until an early second instar larval stage. Moreover, in vivo miRNA reporters can be effectively repressed in gw182-null first instar larvae. Nevertheless, gw182-null flies have defects in the expression of chitin-related genes and the formation of the larval trachea system, preventing them to complete the larval development. Our results highlight the importance of both GW182-dependent and -independent silencing mechanisms in vivo.

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Matsuura-Suzuki, E., Tomari, Y.. 2022-06-17. The requirement of GW182 in miRNA-mediated gene silencingin Drosophila larval development. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.15.496358

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