Zhang Baohong, Pan Xiaoping, Anderson Todd A
The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Department of Environmental Toxicology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1163, USA.
FEBS Lett. 2006 Jun 26;580(15):3753-62. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.05.063. Epub 2006 Jun 9.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a newly identified class of non-protein-coding approximately 20nt small RNAs which play important roles in multiple biological processes by degrading targeted mRNAs or repressing mRNA translation. After searching a genomic survey sequence database using homologs and secondary structures, we found 188 maize miRNAs belonging to 29 miRNA families. Of the 188 maize miRNA genes, 28 (15%) were found in at least one EST. A total of 115 potential targets were identified for 26 of the miRNA families based on the fact that miRNAs exhibit perfect or nearly perfect complementarity with their target sequences. A majority of the targets are transcription factors which play important roles in maize development, including leaf, shoot, and root development. Additionally, these maize miRNAs are also involved in other cellular processes, such as signal transduction, stress response, sucrose and cellulose synthesis, and ubiquitin protein degradation pathway. Some of the newly identified miRNA targets may be unique to maize.
微小RNA（miRNA）是一类新发现的非蛋白质编码的约20个核苷酸的小RNA，它们通过降解靶标mRNA或抑制mRNA翻译在多种生物学过程中发挥重要作用。利用同源物和二级结构搜索基因组调查序列数据库后，我们发现了属于29个miRNA家族的188个玉米miRNA。在这188个玉米miRNA基因中，有28个（15%）至少在一个EST中被发现。基于miRNA与其靶标序列表现出完美或近乎完美的互补性这一事实，为26个miRNA家族总共鉴定出115个潜在靶标。大多数靶标是在玉米发育中发挥重要作用的转录因子，包括叶片、茎尖和根系发育。此外，这些玉米miRNA还参与其他细胞过程，如信号转导、应激反应、蔗糖和纤维素合成以及泛素蛋白降解途径。一些新鉴定的miRNA靶标可能是玉米特有的。
