Tissue Expression Pattern of PMK-2 p38 MAPK Is Established by the miR-58 Family in C. elegans

Analyses of gene expression profiles in evolutionarily diverse organisms have revealed a role for micrornas in tuning tissue-specific gene expression. here,we show that the relatively abundant and constitutively expressed mir-58 family of micrornas sharply defines the tissue-specific expression of the broadly transcribed gene encoding pmk-2 p38 mapk in caenorhabditis elegans. whereas pmk-2 functions redundantly with pmk-1 in the nervous system to regulate neuronal development and behavioral responses to pathogenic bacteria,the mir-58,mir-80,mir-81,and mir-82 micrornas function redundantly to destabilize pmk-2 mrna in non-neuronal cells with switch-like potency. our data suggest a role for the mir-58 family in the establishment of neuronal-specific gene expression in c. elegans,and support a more general role for micrornas in the establishment of tissue-specific gene expression. © 2015 pagano et al.