PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Andrea Pozzi
AU  - Damian K. Dowling
TI  - A new member in the Argonaute crew: the mt-miRNAs
AID  - 10.1101/2020.02.13.948554
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.02.13.948554
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/02/14/2020.02.13.948554.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/02/14/2020.02.13.948554.full
AB  - Mutations within the mitochondrial genome have been linked to many diverse phenotypes. Moreover, the effects of these mutations have been shown to differ across sexes and environments. The mechanisms that explain the manifold array of mitochondrial genotypic effects on organismal function, and their context-dependency, have however remained a mystery. Here, we present evidence that mitochondria are involved in nuclear gene regulation via RNA interference; transcribing mitochondrial (mt-)miRNAs that may repress the transcription of nuclear genes that previously had no known involvement in mitochondrial function. Our findings uncover a new mechanism by which mitochondria may shape the expression of animal life-histories and health components; implying that the influence of the mitochondria in regulating organismal function extends well beyond the process of energy production.