Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2012 Dec;17(6):347-52. doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2012.07.008. Epub 2012 Aug 18.
The importance of the involvement of non-protein coding RNAs in biological processes has become evident in recent years along with the identification of the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that allow them to exert their roles. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small non-coding RNA that regulates messenger RNA abundance. The capacity of each miRNA to target several transcripts suggests an ability to build a complex regulatory network for fine tuning gene expression; a mechanism by which they are thought to regulate cell fate, proliferation and identity. The brain expresses more distinct miRNAs than any other tissue in vertebrates and it presents an impressive variety of cell types, including many different classes of neurons. Here we review more than 10 years of miRNA research, and discuss the most important findings that have established miRNAs as key regulators of neuronal development.
近年来，随着对非蛋白编码 RNA 参与生物过程的转录调控机制的鉴定，非蛋白编码 RNA 的重要性变得显而易见。microRNAs (miRNAs) 是一类新的小非编码 RNA，可调节信使 RNA 的丰度。每个 miRNA 可以靶向几个转录本，这表明它有能力构建一个复杂的调节网络来精细调控基因表达；这是一种被认为可以调节细胞命运、增殖和身份的机制。大脑表达的 miRNA 比脊椎动物的任何其他组织都多，并且它呈现出令人印象深刻的多种细胞类型，包括许多不同类别的神经元。在这里，我们回顾了超过 10 年的 miRNA 研究，并讨论了最重要的发现，这些发现确立了 miRNA 作为神经元发育的关键调节因子。
