Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2013;768:165-82. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5107-5_10.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of ∼22nt non-coding RNAs that regulate the translational potential and stability of mRNAs. Though constituting only 1-4% of human genes, miRNAs are predicted to regulate more than 60% of all mRNAs. The action of miRNAs is mediated through their associations with Argonaute proteins and mRNA targets. Previous studies indicated that though the majority of Argonaute proteins is diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm, a small fraction is consistently observed to be concentrated in a cytoplasmic compartment called GW/P-bodies. In this chapter, we will provide a quantitative and dynamic view of the subcellular localization of miRNA function, followed by a discussion on the possible roles of PBs in miRNA silencing.
微小 RNA(miRNA)是一类约 22nt 的非编码 RNA,可调节 mRNAs 的翻译潜力和稳定性。尽管 miRNA 仅占人类基因的 1-4%,但据预测,miRNA 可以调节超过 60%的所有 mRNAs。miRNA 的作用是通过与 Argonaute 蛋白和 mRNA 靶标结合介导的。先前的研究表明,尽管大多数 Argonaute 蛋白在细胞质中弥散分布,但一小部分蛋白始终集中在一个称为 GW/P 体的细胞质隔室中。在本章中,我们将提供 miRNA 功能的亚细胞定位的定量和动态视图,然后讨论 PB 在 miRNA 沉默中的可能作用。