Description of "F26E4.10" |
drsh-1 encodes a predicted RNase III-type ribonuclease that is orthologous to Drosophila and human Drosha; by homology, DRSH-1 is predicted to function as an endoribonuclease that, in the nucleus, initiates cleavage of primary miRNA transcripts (pri-mRNAs) into pre-miRNAs that are then exported to the cytoplasm for further processing; loss of drsh-1 activity via RNAi results in re-expression of a let-7-silenced reporter in adults, suggesting that DRSH-1 is required for let-7 processing; in addition, DRSH-1 also appears to be required for fertility, as adults lacking drsh-1 activity are sterile; along with PASH-1, a double-stranded RNA binding protein, DRSH-1 may be part of a conserved multiprotein complex that regulates nuclear pri-miRNA splicing. |