Nutrient dependent miR-184 aids in the survival of Drosophila larvae during low food conditions

Abstract

Nutrition is one of the critical factors known to regulate the development and growth of organisms. Lack of nutrients affects the proper functioning and survival of organisms. However, fluctuation of the levels of nutrients is quite common in a natural environment, and organisms have evolved various molecular and physiological means by which they can survive such conditions. microRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that play significant biological functions, primarily by acting as post-transcriptional buffers of noisy gene expression. Recent studies show that miR-184, a conserved microRNA, is expressed at higher levels in low nutrition conditions. Our experiments show that miR-184 mutants showed enhanced lethality when raised in low nutrient food conditions. Here, we demonstrate the role of miR-184, a microRNA regulated by nutritional status, also helps in the survival of the larvae to adulthood in low food conditions.