Whole genome microarray analysis of C. elegans rrf-3 and eri-1 mutants

RRF-3 and ERI-1 are first identified proteins required for accumulation of at least some endogenous secondary siRNAs in C.elegans. Genome wide gene expression analysis was performed on L4 stage rrf-3 and eri-1 mutant C. elegans to study effects caused by loss of these proteins. Mutant rrf-3 and eri-1 strains exhibited similar expression patterns when compared to N2 wild type, while 72 transcripts were found to be co-overexpressed and 4 transcripts co-underexpressed (&gt; 2-fold, p&lt; 0.05). Ontology analysis indicated many of the gene products were associated with protein phosphorylation and sperm function. These results provide additional support for the hypothesis that RRF-3 and ERI-1 act together in a siRNA pathway and may indicate biological processes that are related to endo-siRNAs. Keywords: Mutant vs. wild type -comparisonRRF-3与ERI-1是首批被发现的、参与秀丽隐杆线虫（Caenorhabditis elegans）中至少部分内源性次级小干扰RNA（small interfering RNA，siRNA）积累过程的必需蛋白质。本研究对L4期的rrf-3与eri-1突变型秀丽隐杆线虫开展全基因组基因表达分析，以探究这两种蛋白缺失所引发的生物学效应。与N2野生型菌株相比，rrf-3与eri-1突变菌株展现出相似的基因表达谱，同时发现有72个转录本共同上调、4个转录本共同下调（差异倍数>2倍，p<0.05）。基因本体论分析显示，多数差异基因产物与蛋白质磷酸化及精子功能相关。上述结果为"RRF-3与ERI-1共同参与siRNA通路"这一假说提供了额外支撑，同时也暗示了与内源性siRNA相关的生物学过程。关键词：突变型与野生型对照比较