Key Laboratory of Genome Information and Sciences, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China.
Genomics. 2009 Dec;94(6):438-44. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2009.08.007. Epub 2009 Aug 19.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are pivotal regulators involved in various physiological and pathological processes via their post-transcriptional regulation of gene expressions. We sequenced 14 libraries of small RNAs constructed from samples spanning the life cycle of silkworms, and discovered 50 novel miRNAs previously not known in animals and verified 43 of them using stem-loop RT-PCR. Our genome-wide analyses of 27 species-specific miRNAs suggest they arise from transposable elements, protein-coding genes duplication/transposition and random foldback sequences; which is consistent with the idea that novel animal miRNAs may evolve from incomplete self-complementary transcripts and become fixed in the process of co-adaptation with their targets. Computational prediction suggests that the silkworm-specific miRNAs may have a preference of regulating genes that are related to life-cycle-associated traits, and these genes can serve as potential targets for subsequent studies of the modulating networks in the development of Bombyx mori.
微小 RNA（miRNAs）是通过对基因表达的转录后调控参与各种生理和病理过程的关键调节因子。我们对跨越家蚕生命周期的样本构建的 14 个小 RNA 文库进行了测序，发现了 50 种以前在动物中未知的新型 miRNA，并使用茎环 RT-PCR 验证了其中的 43 种。我们对 27 种物种特异性 miRNA 的全基因组分析表明，它们来自转座元件、蛋白编码基因重复/转位和随机折叠回序列；这与新的动物 miRNA 可能是从不完全互补的转录本进化而来，并在与靶标共同适应的过程中固定下来的观点一致。计算预测表明，家蚕特异性 miRNA 可能更倾向于调控与生命周期相关特征相关的基因，这些基因可以作为后续研究家蚕发育中调节网络的潜在靶点。
