MicroRNA特征与功能

MicroRNA's Characteristic and Function

通过分析总结现代分子生物学国际前沿microRNA(miRNA)领域的研究文献,整理出miRNA研究的基本脉络和走向.miRNA是一类长度～22nt的非编码小分子RNA,在包括线虫、果绳、家鼠、人体以及拟南芥等生物中普遍存在;它在调节基因转录与表达,调控生物体正常发育等生理过程中扮演重要角色.从比较的角度出发,揭示了miRNA与小干扰RNA在其代谢与功能方面共用某些途径,相互交叉与替代,可能同属一个更广范围的小分子RNA介导的生理调控机制.miRNA的研究可能对新一代基因药物的开发具有深远意义.

This paper reported and summarized the progressed in microRNA(miRNA) research, the modern molecular biology foreland. By analyzing and integrating the related articles on miRNA, it sets a basic conception on microRNA research and is of great reference to the readers. miRNAs are a new class of ~22 nt small non-coding RNAs present extensively in c. elegans, fly, mouse, human and arabidopsis et al . The data shows that miRNAs act as regulatory components of gene expression and organism development. The comparison reveals that miRNAs intersect with siRNAs in their biogenesis and function, indicating both may belong to a broader common small RNA-mediated gene regulatory mechanism. The study of miRNAs holds promise for gene drugs.