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[
Dev Cell,
2019]
Three recent studies (Dodson and Kennedy, 2019; Lev etal., 2019; Ouyang etal., 2019) reveal that germ granule formation is necessary to protect germline-expressed genes from improper small RNA-mediated silencing. Loss of this protection leads to accumulation of small RNAs, impacting gene expression in multiple subsequent generations.
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[
Curr Biol,
2011]
What mechanisms coordinate the sequential pattern of gene expression during development of specialized cells? A small RNA-based mechanism is proposed to repress expression of genes during oogenesis.
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[
Curr Biol,
2012]
New research reveals how the intricate repertoire of ascarosides--small molecules acting as multifaceted pheromones in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans--has evolved in divergent nematode taxa occupying contrasted ecological niches.
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[
Curr Biol,
2020]
Recognizing and remembering dangerous pathogens is of the utmost importance for an animal's survival. Nematodes use a digested bacterial small RNA molecule as a cue of pathogenicity. Inheritance of this RNA even protects the progeny from infection.
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[
Neuron,
2016]
The integrity of neural circuits must be maintained throughout the lifetime of an organism. In this issue of Neuron, Cherra and Jin (2016) characterize a small, two-Ig domain protein, ZIG-10, and its role in maintaining synaptic density in a specific set of C.elegans neurons.
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[
Dev Cell,
2013]
Genomes are constantly challenged by invaders, so determining what belongs is crucial. Small RNAs silence alien DNA, but Conine etal. (2013), Seth etal. (2013), and Wedeles etal. (2013) now report in Cell and Developmental Cell that these tiny transcripts can also license trusted DNA for expression.
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[
Cell,
2014]
Li et al. demonstrate that a single interneuron can regulate analog- and digital-like behaviors guided by two different postsynaptic neurons. Releasing a single neurotransmitter onto downstream neurons that express receptors with distinct biophysical properties enables a small set of neurons to direct a range of functional responses.
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[
J Biol,
2006]
ABSTRACT : Proteins such as UNC-76 that associate with kinesin motors are important in directing neurite extension. A small Caenorhabditis elegans coiled-coil protein, UNC-69, has now been shown to interact with UNC-76 and to be involved in axonal (but not dendritic) transport and outgrowth, as well as synapse formation.
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[
Nat Cell Biol,
2005]
It has long been known that the mammalian small GTPase Rab5 is involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. However, most Rab5-interacting proteins are localized to endosomes rather than to the plasma membrane. A newly discovered nucleotide-exchange factor for Rab5 in Caenorhabditis elegans now provides the missing link for activating Rab5 at the plasma membrane.
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[
Science,
2001]
RNA molecules are a constant source of joy to molecular biologists: They come in all shapes and sizes, and perform diverse informational, structural, and catalytic tricks in living cells. Perhaps less appreciated is their facility for regulating gene expression. Small regulatory RNAs figure prominently in two fascinating phenomena: gene inactivation by RNA interference (RNAi), and the control of gene expression during development.