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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

A Reporter Assay to Analyze Intronic microRNA Maturation in Mammalian Cells
Published on: June 16, 2022
Global Switch from DICER-dependent MicroRNA to DICER-independent SnoRNA-derived RNA Biogenesis in Malignancy
Noel L Godang1, Jeffrey D DeMeis1, Dominika Houserova1
1Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL USA.
Abstract:
SnoRNAs are frequently processed into snoRNA-derived RNAs (sdRNAs) that function much like traditional microRNAs (miRNAs). That said, our analyses suggest a global switch from DICER-dependent (predominately miRNA) to DICER-independent (predominately sdRNA) biogenesis/gene regulation in colon cancer. Whereas the expressions of 259 of 288 appreciably expressed miRNAs are significantly decreased (avg. 6.4% of WT) in human colon cancer DICER-KOs, 95 of 103 sdRNAs are conversely, significantly increased (avg. 679.3%) in DICER-KOs as compared to WT. As many diseases are characterized by DICER deficiency, this putative global switch to DICER-independent sdRNA regulations may contribute to an array of human diseases.
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