2026/06/03 by Travis D. Carney, Halyna R. Shcherbata · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research #MicroRNA in disease regulation #RNA Research and Splicing
paper · doi:10.1093/genetics/iyag141
openalex publication_date 2026/06/03 · openalex created_date 2026/06/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/25
The impact of non-coding RNAs on stem cell biology and differentiation processes is an important and incompletely understood area of research. Using the testes of Drosophila melanogaster as a proven model for investigating these processes, we identified a polycistronic locus from which two non-coding transcripts, miR-317 and the long non-coding RNA Peony, are produced, with alternative polyadenylation implicated in regulation of their differential expression levels. We report here that each transcript has a distinct role in Drosophila testes; the absence of miR-317 leads to the emergence of germ-cell tumors in developing flies, and the increased expression of Peony results in the disruption of the muscle sheath covering the testis. We also show that miR-317 deficiency increases Notch signaling activity in somatic cyst cells, upregulates multiple predicted targets of miR-317, and drives germline tumorigenesis. Our findings establish miR-317 as a tumor suppressor controlling Notch signaling strength and uncover alternative polyadenylation as an unrecognized mechanism governing miRNA expression.