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Related Concept Videos

MicroRNAs01:22

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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...
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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...
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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.
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Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators02:13

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Transcriptional regulators bind to specific cis-regulatory sequences in the DNA to regulate gene transcription. These cis-regulatory sequences are very short, usually less than ten nucleotide pairs in length. The short length means that there is a high probability of the exact same sequence randomly occurring throughout the genome.  Since regulators can also bind to groups of similar sequences, this further increases the chances of random binding. Transcriptional regulators form...
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Riboswitches are non-coding mRNA domains that regulate the transcription and translation of downstream genes without the help of proteins. Riboswitches bind directly to a metabolite and can form unique stem-loop or hairpin structures in response to the amount of the metabolite present. They have two distinct regions – a metabolite-binding aptamer and an expression platform.
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Single-molecule Manipulation of G-quadruplexes by Magnetic Tweezers
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Single-molecule Manipulation of G-quadruplexes by Magnetic Tweezers

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3' UTR G-quadruplexes regulate miRNA binding.

Samuel Rouleau1, Jean-Pierre Sehi Glouzon1, Andrea Brumwell1

  • 1Département de Biochimie, Pavillon de Recherche Appliquée sur le Cancer, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Québec), Canada J1E 4K8.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)
|May 6, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

G-quadruplexes (G4) in messenger RNA 3' untranslated regions can block microRNA (miRNA) binding. This structural element impacts gene regulation and should be considered in miRNA target prediction.

Keywords:
FADS2RNA G-quadruplexmicroRNAmir331-3p

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • RNA Biology

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs regulating gene expression by inhibiting translation.
  • mRNA target accessibility to miRNAs can be influenced by RNA structural elements.
  • G-quadruplexes (G4) are non-B DNA structures found in G-rich regions with diverse biological roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if G4 structures in 3' UTRs of mRNAs impede miRNA binding.
  • To assess the impact of G4 presence on miRNA-mediated gene silencing.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic search for overlapping G4 structures and predicted miRNA binding sites in human 3' UTRs.
  • In-line probing and fluorescent ligand binding assays to confirm G4 formation.
  • Luciferase reporter assays to evaluate miRNA binding and repression in cellulo.

Main Results:

  • Identified 44,294 potential G4/miRNA binding site overlaps in human sequences.
  • Confirmed G4 structure formation near the predicted binding site of mir331-3p on FADS2 mRNA.
  • Demonstrated that the G4 structure inhibits mir331-3p binding and function in cells.

Conclusions:

  • G4 structures in 3' UTRs can act as barriers to miRNA binding.
  • This finding provides a mechanistic explanation for differential miRNA targeting.
  • G4 structures must be considered for accurate miRNA target prediction and functional analysis.