# Mechanism and function of C. elegans microRNAs in drug resistance, pathogen defense, and development

> **NIH NIH R35** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $374,891

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
MicroRNAs are ~22-nt-long RNAs that bind Argonaute proteins to function as guides to direct gene silencing of
mRNAs containing partial sequence complementarity. MicroRNAs have critical roles throughout animal
development. Disruption of microRNA activity can lead to a variety of diseases including cancer. Recently,
microRNAs have emerged as having probable roles in drug resistance and in preventing bacterial and viral
infections, yet their specific functions in these processes are not well understood. The goal of this proposal is
to identify the genes and genetic networks under the control of microRNAs that affect development, drug
resistance, and pathogen defense. We will address three specific challenges that have limited our
understanding of microRNAs and their roles in disease and human health: (1) identify the roles of microRNAs
in drug resistance and pathogen defense; (2) identify the genes and genetic networks under the control of
microRNAs that affect development, drug resistance, and pathogen defense; and (3) identify how separate
branches of the microRNA pathway become specialized for distinct mechanistic roles in drug resistance and
pathogen defense. We will use a systems-level approach to unravel the genetic networks that affect the
surveillance, transport, metabolism, and detoxification of foreign chemicals such as toxins produced by
pathogens and drugs used for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Drug resistance and pathogen
defense are complex and dynamic processes involving cell-to-cell signaling making them difficult to study using
human and mammalian cell cultures. We will establish the genetically tractable species Caenorhabditis
elegans as a whole-animal model for understanding these processes, thereby paving the way for high-
throughput chemical screens to identify compounds that can modulate drug efficacy and prevent infections.
Understanding how microRNAs intersect genetic networks that affect drug resistance and pathogen defense
will improve our fundamental understanding of diseases, infections, and acquired drug resistance. Knowledge
of how microRNAs and their Argonaute protein partners are specialized for distinct functions will have
important implications in the study of gene regulation and how its dysregulation contributes to health and
disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9939585
- **Project number:** 5R35GM119775-05
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Taiowa Akoni Montgomery
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $374,891
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-11 → 2021-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9939585

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9939585, Mechanism and function of C. elegans microRNAs in drug resistance, pathogen defense, and development (5R35GM119775-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9939585. Licensed CC0.

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