Let-7

let-7 is a regulatory microRNA with 21 nucleotides that was discovered in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ). The name stands for "letal (fatal) 7".

Mutations in the gene for let-7 cause disturbances in the temporal development of C.elegans . Important steps are omitted or repeated several times. As a result, the adult worm is deformed or non-viable (hence the term "lethal").

The let-7 RNA is complementary to elements in the 3'-untranslated (3'- UTR ) region of the developmental genes lin-14 , lin-28 , lin-41 and daf-12 and thus regulates their translation ( translation , protein biosynthesis) .

The gene for let-7 is evidently highly conserved in evolutionary terms and controls the temporal development of many animal groups, such as nematodes, insects, molluscs and vertebrates.

Individual evidence

↑ BJ Reinhart, FJ Slack, M. Basson, AE Pasquinelli, JC Bettinger, AE Rougvie, HR Horvitz, G. Ruvkun : The 21-nucleotide let-7 RNA regulates developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans . In: Nature . Volume 403, No. 6772, February 24, 2000, pp. 901-906.
↑ AE Pasquinelli, BJ Reinhart, F. Slack, MQ Martindale, MI Kuroda, B. Maller, DC Hayward, EE Ball, B. Degnan, P. Müller, J. Spring, A. Srinivasan, M. Fishman, J. Finnerty , J. Corbo, M. Levine, P. Leahy, E. Davidson, G. Ruvkun: Conservation of the sequence and temporal expression of let-7 heterochronic regulatory RNA . In: Nature . Volume 408, No. 6808, November 2, 2000, pp. 86-89.

[1] BJ Reinhart, FJ Slack, M. Basson, AE Pasquinelli, JC Bettinger, AE Rougvie, HR Horvitz, G. Ruvkun : The 21-nucleotide let-7 RNA regulates developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans . In: Nature . Volume 403, No. 6772, February 24, 2000, pp. 901-906.

[2] AE Pasquinelli, BJ Reinhart, F. Slack, MQ Martindale, MI Kuroda, B. Maller, DC Hayward, EE Ball, B. Degnan, P. Müller, J. Spring, A. Srinivasan, M. Fishman, J. Finnerty , J. Corbo, M. Levine, P. Leahy, E. Davidson, G. Ruvkun: Conservation of the sequence and temporal expression of let-7 heterochronic regulatory RNA . In: Nature . Volume 408, No. 6808, November 2, 2000, pp. 86-89.