A global view of the RNA-binding and regulatory protein landscape in Caenorhabditis elegans

Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression is essential for the correct development and functioning of an organism. This regulation is coordinated by a collection of proteins that work together to determine an RNAs post-transcriptional fate. Here, we provide a global overview of the RNA regulatory protein landscape in Caenorhabditis elegans, to provide insight into the coordination of post-transcriptional regulatory activities in the context of a multicellular organism. First, we have curated a comprehensive list of all known and putative RNA regulatory proteins encoded in the C. elegans genome, classified based on domain and functional annotations and published experimental data. Second, using protein-protein interaction data in the STRING database, we created a putative RNA regulatory protein interaction network that highlighted known RNA regulatory complexes, and leveraged this network to identify an additional 138 known and putative RNA regulators previously unannotated in C. elegans. Finally, we examined the tissue- and developmental-stage-specific expression of RNA regulators using published transcript expression data, which revealed strong expression in the gonad for a majority, as well as dozens expressed specifically in each of the major somatic C. elegans tissues. Taken together, this work will provide a valuable resource for future studies of RNA biology in C. elegans.