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Updated: May 12, 2026

Using RNA-interference to Investigate the Innate Immune Response in Mouse Macrophages
Published on: November 3, 2014
microRNAs are ligands of Toll-like receptors
Xi Chen1, Hongwei Liang, Junfeng Zhang
1Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for microRNA Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China. xichen@nju.edu.cn
Abstract:
It has long been known that microRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate target gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Recent studies, however, have revealed that miRNAs can also be transported from donor cells to recipient cells, in which these RNAs function in a novel manner as ligands of Toll-like receptors. Here, we review the latest findings on these unconventional miRNAs, with special emphasis on their biological significance.
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