TY - JOUR
T1 - Conservation and turnover of miRNAs and their highly complementary targets in early branching animals
AU - Praher, Daniela
AU - Zimmermann, Bob
AU - Dnyansagar, Rohit
AU - Miller, David J.
AU - Moya, Aurelie
AU - Modepalli, Vengamanaidu
AU - Fridrich, Arie
AU - Sher, Daniel
AU - Friis-Møller, Lene
AU - Sundberg, Per
AU - Fôret, Sylvain
AU - Ashby, Regan
AU - Moran, Yehu
AU - Technau, Ulrich
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors.
PY - 2021/2/24
Y1 - 2021/2/24
N2 - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators that have been extensively studied in Bilateria, a group comprising the majority of extant animals, where more than 30 conserved miRNA families have been identified. By contrast, bilaterian miRNA targets are largely not conserved. Cnidaria is the sister group to Bilateria and thus provides a unique opportunity for comparative studies. Strikingly, like their plant counterparts, cnidarian miRNAs have been shown to predominantly have highly complementary targets leading to transcript cleavage by Argonaute proteins. Here, we assess the conservation of miRNAs and their targets by small RNA sequencing followed by miRNA target prediction in eight species of Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals), the earliest-branching cnidarian class. We uncover dozens of novel miRNAs but only a few conserved ones. Further, given their high complementarity, we were able to computationally identify miRNA targets in each species. Besides evidence for conservation of specific miRNA target sites, which are maintained between sea anemones and stony corals across 500 Myr of evolution, we also find indications for convergent evolution of target regulation by different miRNAs. Our data indicate that cnidarians have only few conserved miRNAs and corresponding targets, despite their high complementarity, suggesting a high evolutionary turnover.
AB - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators that have been extensively studied in Bilateria, a group comprising the majority of extant animals, where more than 30 conserved miRNA families have been identified. By contrast, bilaterian miRNA targets are largely not conserved. Cnidaria is the sister group to Bilateria and thus provides a unique opportunity for comparative studies. Strikingly, like their plant counterparts, cnidarian miRNAs have been shown to predominantly have highly complementary targets leading to transcript cleavage by Argonaute proteins. Here, we assess the conservation of miRNAs and their targets by small RNA sequencing followed by miRNA target prediction in eight species of Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals), the earliest-branching cnidarian class. We uncover dozens of novel miRNAs but only a few conserved ones. Further, given their high complementarity, we were able to computationally identify miRNA targets in each species. Besides evidence for conservation of specific miRNA target sites, which are maintained between sea anemones and stony corals across 500 Myr of evolution, we also find indications for convergent evolution of target regulation by different miRNAs. Our data indicate that cnidarians have only few conserved miRNAs and corresponding targets, despite their high complementarity, suggesting a high evolutionary turnover.
KW - cnidaria
KW - conservation
KW - miRNAs
KW - microRNA targets
KW - microRNAs
KW - turnover
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101948524&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2020.3169
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2020.3169
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C2 - 33622129
AN - SCOPUS:85101948524
SN - 0962-8452
VL - 288
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 1945
M1 - 20203169
ER -