干细胞研究的新途径:miRNAs

A new approach for stem cells research:miRNAs

微小RNA(microRNAs,miRNAs)是一类内源性的非编码单链RNA,能够通过与靶mRNA特异性的碱基配对而导致靶mRNA降解或抑制其翻译,从而对基因进行转录后调控。干细胞的自我更新和多向分化过程依赖于广泛而多样的调控机制,miRNAs正是这些调控机制中非常重要的一类分子。研究发现,干细胞的自我更新功能需要多种miRNAs的参与来维持;干细胞的分化也是多种miRNAs参与调控的结果。miRNAs可以作为干细胞研究的一个新的切入点。

Micro RNAS （miRNAs） are endogenous noncoding single-stranded RNAs, they can bind to target mRNAs by specific base pairing, then degrade mRNAs or inhibit protein translation, so they can participate in posttranscriptional regulation. Stem cells self-renewal and multiple differentiation are depending on various regulation mechanisms, and miRNAs are surely an important class of regulation factors among them. It has been reported that some kinds of miRNAs are likely important regulators for stem cells maintaining their state of self-renewal, and others may play key roles in their differentiation, miRNAs can be served as a new approach for stem cells research.