{"doi":"10.1261/rna.080816.125","title":"Decoding Argonaute specificity: insights from\n                    <i>C. elegans</i>\n                    and beyond","abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Small noncoding RNAs are versatile regulators of gene expression, capable of guiding the silencing of complementary mRNAs through their association with Argonaute proteins. This RNA-guided silencing, known as RNA interference (RNAi), is a conserved mechanism that shapes diverse biological processes, from development to genome defense. Central to the effectiveness of RNAi is the precise loading of small RNAs into their appropriate Argonaute partners, a step that ensures both specificity and fidelity in target recognition. Although most organisms harbor multiple classes of small RNAs and a corresponding repertoire of Argonautes, the rules that dictate their selective pairing remain only partially understood.\n                    <jats:italic>Caenorhabditis elegans</jats:italic>\n                    , with its expanded array of small RNA classes and Argonaute proteins, provides a powerful system to probe these mechanisms. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on small RNA loading specificity, integrating insights from\n                    <jats:italic>C. elegans</jats:italic>\n                    with findings from other organisms. We focus on the interplay between small RNA biogenesis, biochemical properties of small RNAs, structural features of Argonautes, post-translational modifications, and the spatiotemporal coexpression patterns that together orchestrate precise Argonaute loading.\n                  </jats:p>","journal":"RNA","year":2026,"id":671687,"datarank":0.10397207708399181,"base_score":0.6931471805599453,"endowment":0.6931471805599453,"self_citation_contribution":0.10397207708399181,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.10397207708399181,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":1,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":482877,"name":"Carolyn M. Phillips","orcid":"0000-0002-6228-6468","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1232512,"name":"Shihui Chen","orcid":"0009-0006-3036-5475","position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Decoding Argonaute specificity: insights from\n                    <i>C. elegans</i>\n                    and beyond","abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Small noncoding RNAs are versatile regulators of gene expression, capable of guiding the silencing of complementary mRNAs through their association with Argonaute proteins. This RNA-guided silencing, known as RNA interference (RNAi), is a conserved mechanism that shapes diverse biological processes, from development to genome defense. Central to the effectiveness of RNAi is the precise loading of small RNAs into their appropriate Argonaute partners, a step that ensures both specificity and fidelity in target recognition. Although most organisms harbor multiple classes of small RNAs and a corresponding repertoire of Argonautes, the rules that dictate their selective pairing remain only partially understood.\n                    <jats:italic>Caenorhabditis elegans</jats:italic>\n                    , with its expanded array of small RNA classes and Argonaute proteins, provides a powerful system to probe these mechanisms. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on small RNA loading specificity, integrating insights from\n                    <jats:italic>C. elegans</jats:italic>\n                    with findings from other organisms. We focus on the interplay between small RNA biogenesis, biochemical properties of small RNAs, structural features of Argonautes, post-translational modifications, and the spatiotemporal coexpression patterns that together orchestrate precise Argonaute loading.\n                  </jats:p>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":0.6931471805599453,"endowment":0.6931471805599453,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"41402065","pmcid":"PMC12908457","openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W4417399607","authors":[],"funders":[],"total_grants":0,"fwci":0.4238,"citation_percentile":0.66548633,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[{"year":2026,"count":1}],"oa_status":"bronze","license":null,"oa_locations":[{"url":"http://rnajournal.cshlp.org/content/early/2025/12/16/rna.080816.125.full.pdf","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"http://rnajournal.cshlp.org/content/early/2025/12/16/rna.080816.125.full.pdf","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1261/rna.080816.125","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1261/rna.080816.125","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41402065","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41402065/","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12908457","host_type":"Europe_PMC"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12908457?pdf=render","host_type":"Europe_PMC"}],"fields_of_study":["RNA Research and Splicing","RNA modifications and cancer","MicroRNA in disease regulation","Animals","Caenorhabditis elegans","Argonaute Proteins","RNA Interference","Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins","RNA, Small Interfering","RNA, Small Untranslated"],"mesh_terms":["Animals","Caenorhabditis elegans","Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins","RNA Interference","RNA, Small Interfering","RNA, Small Untranslated","Argonaute Proteins"],"keywords":["Argonaute","Trans-acting siRNA","RNA interference","Small RNA","Gene silencing","RNA","Long non-coding RNA","RasiRNA","RNA-induced silencing complex","Gene regulation","RNAi","C. Elegans"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[{"name":"doi"}],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-16T03:58:50.101255Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}