A cohort of Caenorhabditis species lacking the highly conserved let-7 microRNA

The primary goal of this study was to determine if the let-7 microRNA is expressed in the Japonica group species, C. sulstoni and C. macrosperma, of the genus Caenorhabditis. Multiple samples throughout animal development (at least one sample per larval stage and one adult sample) were collected. Corresponding C. elegans samples were also collected as a comparison. The secondary goal of this study was to determine the conservation of let-7-family and lin-4 microRNAs expression during development of the aforementioned species. The tertiary goal of this study was to identify novel let-7-family microRNAs in the aforementioned species.