Caenorhabditis elegans small RNAs

Small RNAs (sRNAs) have been identified within the C. elegans genome and comparative genomics has shown that they are conserved across several nematode species. These sRNAs contain a characteristic 2,2,7-trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap structure that identifies them as non-coding RNAs that have a functional role within the cell but at present the exact function of these sRNAs is unknown. Immunoprecipitation using antibodies against TMG and RNA microarrays were used to identify these sRNA.