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Potential roles of microRNAs in regulating long intergenic noncoding RNAs
Liran Juan1, Guohua Wang, Milan Radovich
1Center for Biomedical Informatics, Harbin Institute of Technology School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China.
BMC Medical Genomics
|February 2, 2013
Summary
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may regulate long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) similarly to messenger RNAs (mRNAs). This interaction, potentially involving breast cancer-related miRNAs and lincRNAs, could influence gene expression in tumor cells.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Over 10,000 long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) are known, with some regulating gene expression.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that inhibit messenger RNA (mRNA) post-transcriptionally.
- While similarities between lincRNAs and mRNAs exist, and some miRNA-lincRNA interactions are known, a comprehensive understanding is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between miRNAs and lincRNAs.
- To clarify the miRNA regulation pattern of lincRNAs.
Main Methods:
- An ab initio method was used to annotate lincRNAs in breast tissues and tumors.
- Investigated interactions between lincRNAs and miRNAs.
Main Results:
- Identified approximately 90 lincRNAs with strong reverse expression correlation with miRNAs.
- Found statistically conserved miRNA target sites on these lincRNAs.
- Several targeting miRNAs are known to be crucial in breast cancer development.
Conclusions:
- miRNAs may promote lincRNA degradation, analogous to mRNA inhibition.
- Breast cancer-associated miRNAs might target and alter lincRNA expression.
- miRNA regulation of lincRNAs may play a role in tumor cell regulatory processes.
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