Developmental Regulation of MicroRNA Expression

这项工作的主要目标是使用线虫模型系统来理解基因 以及microRNA表达发育调控的分子机制。 线虫中有150多个不同的microRNA基因，其中包括20多个 人类中具有同源物的microRNAs家族。这些细胞的功能在很大程度上是未知的， 尽管很明显，microRNAs在广泛的发育过程中扮演着重要的角色 以及所有动物的生理过程。关于microRNA基因是如何 表达受发育和转录后转录调控 生理信号。将使用分子和遗传方法来表征 微RNA在线虫中转录调控的机制，并表征 参与转录后发育调控的蛋白质和RNA元件 微RNA生物发生。

The broad goal of this work is to use the C. elegans model system to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the developmental regulation of microRNA expression. There are more than 150 distinct microRNA genes in C. elegans, including more than 20 families of microRNAs with homologs in humans. The functions of these are largely unknown, although it is clear that microRNAs play important roles in a wide spectrum of developmeental and phsyiologocal processes in all animals. Little is known about how microRNA gene expression is regulated transcriptionaly or post-transcriptionally by developmental and physiologiical signals. Molecular and genetic approaches will be employed to characterize mechanisms of microRNA transcriptional regulation in C.elegans, and to characterize the proteins and RNA elements responsible for post-transcriptional developmental regulation of microRNA biogenesis.