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. 2018 Dec 21;7:e35478. doi: 10.7554/eLife.35478

Figure 8. Model: NHL-2 acts as a hub of gene regulatory activity.

Figure 8.

(A) NHL-2 interacts with the miRNA pathway in the soma, where it may regulate the translation of let-7 and lsy-6 targets. The NHL RNA binding domain of NHL-2 may help to reinforce target selection of miRISC in this pathway. (B) In the germline, NHL-2 interacts with the 22G-RNA pathway, specifically via genetic and physical interactions with the RdRP helicase DRH-3. In this capacity, NHL-2 could impact the processivity or reloading of the RdRP complex on mRNA templates, and/or could aid in target mRNA selection via its RNA binding capacity. Owing to its genetic and physical interaction with CSR-1, NHL-2 could also be involved in the handoff of 22G-RNAs from the RdRP complex to Argonaute. If NHL-2 mediates gene regulation via 22G-RNAs, it is likely to be at the level of translation. (C) The intrinsic RNA binding capacity of NHL-2 could enable it to regulate a large number of transcripts in the soma and germline, both positively and negatively. This activity could be influenced by additional binding partners, and we speculate that it may occur in P bodies (soma) and P granules (germline) based on the localization pattern of NHL-2.