Endogenous RNAi pathways in C. elegans

Abstract

In addition to several hundred microRNAs, C. elegans produces thousands of other small RNAs targeting coding genes, pseudogenes, transposons, and other noncoding RNAs. Here we review what is currently known about these endogenous small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), providing an overview of their biogenesis, their associated protein factors, and their effects on mRNA dynamics and chromatin structure. Additionally, we describe how the molecular actions of these classes of endogenous small RNAs connect to their physiological roles in the organism.