Title
microPrimer: the biogenesis and function of microRNA
GSBS Program
Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
UMMS Affiliation
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Date
10-15-2005
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Animals; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Humans; MicroRNAs; Plants; RNA, Messenger
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Discovered in nematodes in 1993, microRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that are related to small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the small RNAs that guide RNA interference (RNAi). miRNAs sculpt gene expression profiles during plant and animal development. In fact, miRNAs may regulate as many as one-third of human genes. miRNAs are found only in plants and animals, and in the viruses that infect them. miRNAs function very much like siRNAs, but these two types of small RNAs can be distinguished by their distinct pathways for maturation and by the logic by which they regulate gene expression.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Development. 2005 Nov;132(21):4645-52. Link to article on publisher's site