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598
miRNA-Mediated RNAa by Targeting Enhancers
Qingping Zou1,2, Ying Liang1,2, Huaibing Luo1,2
1Laboratory of RNA Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences & Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, 130 Dong-An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|June 23, 2017
Summary
Nuclear activating microRNAs (NamiRNAs) represent a novel class of molecules that activate gene expression by targeting enhancers. These NamiRNAs promote global gene transcription, offering new insights into gene regulation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Gene Regulation
- Epigenetics
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known cytoplasmic gene expression regulators.
- Nuclear functions of miRNAs are largely undetermined.
- The interplay between miRNAs and enhancers in gene regulation is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel miRNA functions in the nucleus.
- To investigate the interaction between miRNAs and enhancers.
- To discover new regulators of transcriptional gene activation.
Main Methods:
- Screening of miRNA databases.
- Identification of nuclear activating miRNAs (NamiRNAs).
- Experimental validation of NamiRNA-enhancer interactions and AGO2 dependency.
Main Results:
- Identified NamiRNAs as enhancer regulators.
- Demonstrated NamiRNA-mediated activation of gene expression at the transcriptional level.
- Showed NamiRNA regulation depends on intact enhancers and AGO2 protein, promoting global gene transcription.
Conclusions:
- Discovered a novel function of miRNAs as enhancer triggers for transcriptional gene activation.
- NamiRNAs represent a new mechanism for gene regulation.
- Further research on NamiRNAs in tumorigenesis and development is warranted.
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