Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
RNA. 2010 Nov;16(11):2043-50. doi: 10.1261/rna.2414110. Epub 2010 Sep 20.
The microRNA (miRNA) "sponge" method was introduced three years ago as a means to create continuous miRNA loss of function in cell lines and transgenic organisms. Sponge RNAs contain complementary binding sites to a miRNA of interest, and are produced from transgenes within cells. As with most miRNA target genes, a sponge's binding sites are specific to the miRNA seed region, which allows them to block a whole family of related miRNAs. This transgenic approach has proven to be a useful tool to probe miRNA functions in a variety of experimental systems. Here we will discuss the ways sponge and related constructs can be optimized and review recent applications of this method with particular emphasis on stable expression in cancer studies and in transgenic animals.
“miRNA 海绵”方法是三年前引入的,作为在细胞系和转基因生物中持续丧失 miRNA 功能的一种手段。海绵 RNA 包含与目标 miRNA 互补的结合位点,并由细胞内的转基因产生。与大多数 miRNA 靶基因一样,海绵的结合位点特异性地针对 miRNA 的种子区域,这使得它们能够阻断一整类相关的 miRNA。这种转基因方法已被证明是一种有用的工具,可以在各种实验系统中探测 miRNA 的功能。在这里,我们将讨论优化海绵和相关构建体的方法,并回顾该方法的最新应用,特别强调在癌症研究和转基因动物中的稳定表达。