RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A new member in the Argonaute crew: the mt-miRNAs
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.02.13.948554
DO 10.1101/2020.02.13.948554
A1 Pozzi, Andrea
A1 Dowling, Damian K.
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/02/14/2020.02.13.948554.abstract
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.