Aumiller Verena, Förstemann Klaus
Gene Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 25, Munich, Germany.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2008 Nov;1779(11):692-6. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2008.04.008. Epub 2008 May 2.
The importance of microRNAs during development is well recognized, but a number of studies indicate that their function extends to differentiated cells as well. Metabolic control and neural plasticity are dynamic processes in adult organisms and represent good examples where miRNA-mediated regulation affects the function of differentiated cells without changing their fate. We are summarizing the current understanding of how microRNAs contribute to post-transcriptional control of gene expression in these processes and, where possible, highlight in which mode of action--the "guardian" or the "tuning mode"--they are employed by the cell.
微小RNA在发育过程中的重要性已得到充分认可，但多项研究表明它们的功能也延伸至分化细胞。代谢控制和神经可塑性是成年生物体中的动态过程，是微小RNA介导的调控影响分化细胞功能而不改变其命运的良好例证。我们总结了目前对微小RNA如何在这些过程中促进基因表达的转录后控制的理解，并尽可能突出细胞采用哪种作用模式——“守护者”模式还是“微调模式”。
