微小RNA在动物发育和人类疾病中的作用。

MicroRNA functions in animal development and human disease.

作者信息

Alvarez-Garcia Ines, Miska Eric A

机构信息

The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Biochemistry, The Henry Wellcome Building of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK.

出版信息

Development. 2005 Nov;132(21):4653-62. doi: 10.1242/dev.02073.

DOI:10.1242/dev.02073

PMID:16224045

Abstract

Five years into the 'small RNA revolution' it is hard not to share in the excitement about the rapidly unravelling biology of microRNAs. Since the discovery of the first microRNA gene, lin-4, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, many more of these short regulatory RNA genes have been identified in flowering plants, worms, flies, fish, frogs and mammals. Currently, about 2% of the known human genes encode microRNAs. MicroRNAs are essential for development and this review will summarise our current knowledge of animal microRNA function. We will also discuss the emerging links of microRNA biology to stem cell research and human disease, in particular cancer.

摘要

在“小RNA革命”开展五年之际，很难不被microRNA生物学迅速揭开的面纱所带来的兴奋之情所感染。自线虫秀丽隐杆线虫中首个microRNA基因lin-4被发现以来，在开花植物、蠕虫、苍蝇、鱼类、青蛙和哺乳动物中又鉴定出了更多此类短调控RNA基因。目前，已知的人类基因中约有2%编码microRNA。MicroRNA对发育至关重要，本综述将总结我们目前对动物microRNA功能的认识。我们还将讨论microRNA生物学与干细胞研究及人类疾病，尤其是癌症之间新出现的联系。