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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...
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 ends...
Nucleic Acid Structure01:25

Nucleic Acid Structure

The pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, while in RNA the pentose sugar is ribose. The difference between the sugars is the presence of the hydroxyl group on the ribose's second carbon and a hydrogen on the deoxyribose's second carbon. The phosphate residue attaches to the hydroxyl group of the 5′ carbon of one sugar and the hydroxyl group of the 3′ carbon of the sugar of the next nucleotide, which forms  a 5′ to 3′ phosphodiester linkage.
DNA Structure
DNA has a double-helix structure. The...
RNA Interference01:23

RNA 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...
RNA Interference01:23

RNA 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...

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

Published on: May 1, 2021

Evolutionary relationships between miRNA genes and their activity.

Yan Zhu1, Geir Skogerbø, Qianqian Ning

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, China.

BMC Genomics
|December 25, 2012
PubMed
Summary

MicroRNA (miRNA) gene evolution in vertebrates shows dynamic emergence and functional changes over time. Older miRNAs exhibit broader targeting, while younger ones show increased tissue specificity and lower expression, indicating regulated evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • Vertebrate evolution is marked by an expansion of microRNA (miRNA) families.
  • The evolutionary origins and development of miRNA genes remain largely unexplained.
  • MicroRNAs broadly regulate gene expression, making their evolutionary trajectory significant.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate the evolutionary relationships between miRNA genes and their functions.
  • To classify human miRNAs based on evolutionary age and analyze their divergence.
  • To understand the dynamics of miRNA gene emergence, selection, and functional adaptation.

Main Methods:

  • Classification of human miRNAs into eight evolutionary age groups using maximum parsimony.
  • Comparative analysis of miRNA gene accumulation and functional sequence evolution between vertebrates and Drosophila.
  • Assessment of evolutionary selection pressures on miRNA gene sequences.
  • Analysis of the temporal relationship between genic miRNAs and their host genes.
  • Prediction and verification of miRNA target genes across different miRNA ages.

Main Results:

  • New miRNA genes and functional sequences evolved more dynamically in vertebrates than in Drosophila.
  • Distinct evolutionary selection patterns were observed for miRNA genes of different origins.
  • Genic miRNAs are generally younger than their host genes, with no strong correlation in their origin times.
  • miRNAs originating at different times often target overlapping gene sets, suggesting functional redundancy.
  • Younger miRNAs exhibit higher tissue specificity and lower expression levels compared to older ones.

Conclusions:

  • miRNA genes demonstrate greater dynamism in emergence and decay compared to protein-coding genes.
  • Evolutionary patterns and functional characteristics differ significantly among miRNAs of varying ages.
  • MicroRNA activity is tightly regulated, with expression increasing and targeting decreasing over evolutionary time.
  • The origin time of miRNA genes is a critical factor influencing their activity, expression, and targeting.