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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Conditional Argonaute knockout reveals tissue-specific requirements of microRNA activity in C. elegans

  • Yimeng Gao1,2
  • Yuchuan Bai1
  • Xiaokun Zhang1
  • Yiru Jiang1
  • Yongbin Li1
  1. 1College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University , Beijing 100048 ,
  2. 2School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 ,
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Abstract

MicroRNAs are essential for worm development, yet their roles remain unclear in most tissues. Here, we established a tissue-specific Argonaute knockout system in Caenorhabditis elegans using conditional deletion of alg-1 in an alg-2 mutant background. Tissue-restricted loss of Argonaute revealed distinct developmental and tissue-specific phenotypes. Argonaute depletion in the intestine, pharynx, and hypodermis caused developmental arrest and tissue-specific defects, whereas neuronal and muscle-specific Argonaute depletion impaired locomotion and affected neuronal or muscle-associated phenotypes. Moreover, combined loss of selected tissue-expressed microRNAs only partially recapitulated the corresponding Argonaute-depletion phenotypes. Muscle-specific re-expression of selected microRNAs rescued the locomotion defect of the compound microRNA mutant. This study establishes a platform for dissecting tissue-specific microRNA functions during animal development.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{gao2026conditional,
  title = {{Conditional Argonaute knockout reveals tissue-specific requirements of microRNA activity in C. elegans}},
  author = {Yimeng Gao and Yuchuan Bai and Xiaokun Zhang and Yiru Jiang and Yongbin Li},
  journal = {G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkag279},
  url = {https://academic.oup.com/g3journal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/g3journal/jkag279/8851441},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Conditional Argonaute knockout reveals tissue-specific requirements of microRNA activity in C. elegans
AU  - Yimeng Gao
AU  - Yuchuan Bai
AU  - Xiaokun Zhang
AU  - Yiru Jiang
AU  - Yongbin Li
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
JO  - G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
DO  - 10.1093/g3journal/jkag279
UR  - https://academic.oup.com/g3journal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/g3journal/jkag279/8851441
AB  - MicroRNAs are essential for worm development, yet their roles remain unclear in most tissues. Here, we established a tissue-specific Argonaute knockout system in Caenorhabditis elegans using conditional deletion of alg-1 in an alg-2 mutant background. Tissue-restricted loss of Argonaute revealed distinct developmental and tissue-specific phenotypes. Argonaute depletion in the intestine, pharynx, and hypodermis caused developmental arrest and tissue-specific defects, whereas neuronal and muscle-specific Argonaute depletion impaired locomotion and affected neuronal or muscle-associated phenotypes. Moreover, combined loss of selected tissue-expressed microRNAs only partially recapitulated the corresponding Argonaute-depletion phenotypes. Muscle-specific re-expression of selected microRNAs rescued the locomotion defect of the compound microRNA mutant. This study establishes a platform for dissecting tissue-specific microRNA functions during animal development.
SN  - 2160-1836
ER  -