The miRNA machinery targets Mei-P26 and regulates Myc protein levels in the Drosophila wing.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in cell-cycle regulation and in some cases shown to have a role in tissue growth control. Depletion of miRNAs was found to have an effect on tissue growth rates in the wing primordium of Drosophila, a highly proliferative epithelium. Dicer-1 (Dcr-1) is a double-stranded RNAseIII essential for miRNA biogenesis. Adult cells lacking dcr-1, or with reduced dcr-1 activity, were smaller than normal cells and gave rise to smaller wings. dcr-1 mutant cells showed evidence of being susceptible to competition by faster growing cells in vivo and the miRNA machinery was shown to promote G(1)-S transition. We present evidence that Dcr-1 acts by regulating the TRIM-NHL protein Mei-P26, which in turn regulates dMyc protein levels. Mei-P26 is a direct target of miRNAs, including the growth-promoting bantam miRNA. Thus, regulation of tissue growth by the miRNA pathway involves a double repression mechanism to control dMyc protein levels in a highly proliferative and growing epithelium.