Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2026
09:39
Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: August 21, 2014
Identification of novel genes coding for small expressed RNAs
M Lagos-Quintana1, R Rauhut, W Lendeckel
1Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 27, 2001
Summary
Researchers discovered microRNAs, small temporal RNAs (stRNAs), in various species. These microRNAs regulate developmental timing and are conserved across many organisms, suggesting widespread gene regulation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The lin-4 and let-7 RNAs in C. elegans are crucial for developmental timing.
- These RNAs, known as small temporal RNAs (stRNAs), are regulated during development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence and conservation of 21- and 22-nucleotide RNAs in other organisms.
- To determine if these novel small RNAs function similarly to let-7 stRNA in posttranscriptional regulation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of expressed 21- and 22-nucleotide RNAs in invertebrates and vertebrates.
- Comparison of novel small RNAs with the known let-7 stRNA for conservation and function.
Main Results:
- Identified numerous 21- and 22-nucleotide RNAs, termed microRNAs, in both invertebrates and vertebrates.
- Demonstrated significant conservation of some of these microRNAs across different species, mirroring let-7 stRNA conservation.
Conclusions:
- MicroRNAs are prevalent in diverse organisms and play a role in regulating developmental timing.
- Sequence-specific posttranscriptional regulation by small RNAs is a broadly conserved biological mechanism.
Related Concept Videos
01:23RNA Interference
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
02:53Ribosomal RNA Synthesis
Ribosome synthesis is a highly complex and coordinated process involving more than 200 assembly factors. The synthesis and processing of ribosomal components occurs not only in the nucleolus but also in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)...
03:21RNA-seq
RNA sequencing, or RNA-Seq, is a high-throughput sequencing technology used to study the transcriptome of a cell. Transcriptomics helps to interpret the functional elements of a genome and identify the molecular constituents of an organism. Additionally, it also helps in understanding the development of an organism and the occurrence of diseases.
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...
02:15Experimental RNAi
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
02:24Ribosome Profiling
Ribosome profiling or ribo-sequencing is a deep sequencing technique that produces a snapshot of active translation in a cell. It selectively sequences the mRNAs protected by ribosomes to get an insight into a cell’s translation landscape at any given point in time.
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique helps...
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique helps...