The lin-4 microRNA targets the LIN-14 transcription factor to inhibit netrin-mediated axon attraction

Sci Signal. 2012 Jun 12;5(228):ra43. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.2002437.

Abstract

miR-125 microRNAs, such as lin-4 in Caenorhabditis elegans, were among the first microRNAs discovered, are phylogenetically conserved, and have been implicated in regulating developmental timing. Here, we showed that loss-of-function mutations in lin-4 microRNA increased axon attraction mediated by the netrin homolog UNC-6. The absence of lin-4 microRNA suppressed the axon guidance defects of anterior ventral microtubule (AVM) neurons caused by loss-of-function mutations in slt-1, which encodes a repulsive guidance cue. Selective expression of lin-4 microRNA in AVM neurons of lin-4-null animals indicated that the effect of lin-4 on AVM axon guidance was cell-autonomous. Promoter reporter analysis suggested that lin-4 was likely expressed strongly in AVM neurons during the developmental time frame that the axons are guided to their targets. In contrast, the lin-4 reporter was barely detectable in anterior lateral microtubule (ALM) neurons, axon guidance of which is insensitive to netrin. In AVM neurons, the transcription factor LIN-14, a target of lin-4 microRNA, stimulated UNC-6-mediated ventral guidance of the AVM axon. LIN-14 promoted attraction of the AVM axon through the UNC-6 receptor UNC-40 [the worm homolog of vertebrate Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC)] and its cofactor MADD-2, which signals through both the UNC-34 (Ena) and the CED-10 (Rac1) downstream pathways. LIN-14 stimulated UNC-6-mediated axon attraction in part by increasing UNC-40 abundance. Our study indicated that lin-4 microRNA reduced the activity of LIN-14 to terminate UNC-6-mediated axon guidance of AVM neurons.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Axons / metabolism
  • Axons / physiology
  • Base Sequence
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / growth & development*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / metabolism
  • DNA Primers / genetics
  • Growth Cones / metabolism
  • Growth Cones / physiology*
  • Larva / growth & development
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism*
  • Netrins
  • Neurogenesis / physiology*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • RNA Interference
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • DNA Primers
  • LIN-14 protein, C elegans
  • MicroRNAs
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Netrins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • UNC-40 protein, C elegans
  • UNC-6 protein, C elegans
  • lin-4 microRNA, C elegans