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Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Biotin-based Pulldown Assay to Validate mRNA Targets of Cellular miRNAs
Published on: June 12, 2018
The biogenesis and regulation of animal microRNAs
Haedong Kim1,2,3, Young-Yoon Lee1,2, V Narry Kim4,5
1Center for RNA Research, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, yet profoundly influential, non-coding RNAs that base-pair with mRNAs to induce RNA silencing. Although the basic principles of miRNA biogenesis and function have been established, recent breakthroughs have yielded important new insights into the molecular mechanisms of miRNA biogenesis. In this Review, we discuss the metazoan miRNA biogenesis pathway step-by-step, focusing on the key biogenesis machinery, including the Drosha-DGCR8 complex (Microprocessor), exportin-5, Dicer and Argonaute. We also highlight newly identified cis-acting elements and their impact on miRNA maturation, informed by advanced high-throughput and structural studies, and discuss recently discovered mechanisms of clustered miRNA processing, target recognition and target-directed miRNA decay (TDMD). Lastly, we explore multiple regulatory layers of miRNA biogenesis, mediated by RNA-protein interactions, miRNA tailing (uridylation or adenylation) and RNA modifications.
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