Golden Daniel E, Gerbasi Vincent R, Sontheimer Erik J
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Mol Cell. 2008 Aug 8;31(3):309-12. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2008.07.008.
Among the three main categories of small silencing RNAs in insects and mammals-siRNAs, miRNAs, and piRNAs-siRNAs were thought to arise primarily from exogenous sources, whereas miRNAs and piRNAs arise from endogenous loci. Recent work in flies and mice reveals several classes of endogenous siRNAs (endo-siRNAs) that contribute to functions previously reserved for miRNAs and piRNAs, including gene regulation and transposon suppression.
在昆虫和哺乳动物的三类主要小干扰RNA（siRNA、miRNA和piRNA）中，siRNA被认为主要来源于外源，而miRNA和piRNA则来源于内源基因座。近期在果蝇和小鼠中的研究发现了几类内源性siRNA（endo-siRNA），它们具有以前认为只有miRNA和piRNA才有的功能，包括基因调控和转座子抑制。
