Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA ends...
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA ends...
Cis-regulatory Sequences02:02

Cis-regulatory Sequences

Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
Cis-regulatory Sequences02:02

Cis-regulatory Sequences

Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
Complementary DNA01:44

Complementary DNA

Overview

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Charting the Biosynthetic Landscape of Hybrid Polyketide-Nonribosomal Peptide-Specialized Lipids.

JACS Au·2026
Same author

Are we there yet with XNA aptamers?

RSC advances·2026
Same author

Tuning i-motif folding and stability with acyclic phosphonate-linked (ZNA) cytidine residues.

RSC advances·2025
Same author

Discovery and SAR exploration of novel nanomolar 3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2(1H)-one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

European journal of medicinal chemistry·2025
Same author

Investigating the structure-activity-relationship of diaryl ether-based paFabV inhibitors: A path to novel antibacterials.

European journal of medicinal chemistry·2025
Same author

Structure elucidation and quantification of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in a non-approved drug and in cat serum using QTRAP-MS/MS and ZenoTOF-MS/MS.

Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation
06:16

mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation

Published on: May 1, 2021

Self-complementary sequence context in mature miRNAs.

Mohitosh Maiti1, Koen Nauwelaerts, Eveline Lescrinier

  • 1Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|January 26, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Mature microRNAs (miRNAs) can form hairpin and homo-duplex structures. This self-complementarity offers a sophisticated regulatory mechanism for gene expression control.

More Related Videos

A Reporter Assay to Analyze Intronic microRNA Maturation in Mammalian Cells
06:48

A Reporter Assay to Analyze Intronic microRNA Maturation in Mammalian Cells

Published on: June 16, 2022

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis
09:37

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis

Published on: July 12, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation
06:16

mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation

Published on: May 1, 2021

A Reporter Assay to Analyze Intronic microRNA Maturation in Mammalian Cells
06:48

A Reporter Assay to Analyze Intronic microRNA Maturation in Mammalian Cells

Published on: June 16, 2022

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis
09:37

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis

Published on: July 12, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression.
  • They function post-transcriptionally by targeting messenger RNAs (mRNAs).
  • miRNAs typically bind to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of target mRNAs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural properties of mature microRNAs.
  • To determine the potential for mature miRNAs to form secondary structures like hairpins and homo-duplexes.
  • To explore how these structures influence miRNA-mediated gene regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (1D and 2D) was used to characterize miRNA structures.
  • Computational tools (Mfold and UNAFold) were employed for secondary structure prediction and alignment.
  • Analysis was performed under various concentration and temperature conditions in physiological settings.
  • Statistical analysis was conducted on a comprehensive database of known mature miRNA sequences.

Main Results:

  • The study characterized the equilibrium between hairpin and homo-duplex forms of the mature hsa-mir-520h strand using NMR.
  • Predicted secondary structures from computational methods aligned well with experimental NMR data.
  • A significant potential for numerous mature miRNAs to form hairpin and/or homo-duplex structures in solution was revealed.
  • This self-complementarity was observed across a large dataset of known miRNAs.

Conclusions:

  • Mature microRNAs possess intrinsic self-complementarity, enabling the formation of stable secondary structures.
  • These structural dynamics, specifically hairpin and homo-duplex formation, represent a novel layer of regulatory sophistication.
  • miRNA self-complementarity provides a mechanistic basis for fine-tuning gene regulation beyond canonical base pairing with targets.