MicroRNA: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 12:24, 25 October 2012
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding RNA around 22 nucleotides in length. They are responsible for gene expression and preventing translation of mRNA. miRNAs are highly conserved in evolutionary terms.[1]
Precursors to miRNA are made by RNA Polymerase II. These precursors are then processed and incorporated into a set of proteins to create an RNA-Induced Silencing Com'plex. [2]
miRNA are capable of regulating many RNA and in combination with each other.
One of the first families of miRNA, Let-7, was discovered in Caenorhabditis Elegans. Let-7 has since been discovered in humans and is controlled at post-transcriptional level. Misregulation of Let-7 can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer. <ref>S. Roush & F.J. Slack, (2008), Trends in Cell Biology, 18(10), 505-516