MicroRNAs in Drosophila development.

Micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are small (21-24 nucleotide), endogenously expressed, noncoding RNAs that have emerged as important posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. MiRNAs have been identified and cloned from diverse eukaryotic organisms where they have been shown to control important physiological and developmental processes such as apoptosis, cell division, and differentiation. A high level of conservation of some miRNAs across phyla further emphasizes their importance as posttranscriptional regulators. Research in a variety of model systems has been instrumental in dissecting the biological functions of miRNAs. In this chapter, we discuss the current literature on the role of miRNAs as developmental regulators in Drosophila.