Wilczynska A, Bushell M
MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Cell Death Differ. 2015 Jan;22(1):22-33. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2014.112. Epub 2014 Sep 5.
Since their discovery 20 years ago, miRNAs have attracted much attention from all areas of biology. These short (∼22 nt) non-coding RNA molecules are highly conserved in evolution and are present in nearly all eukaryotes. They have critical roles in virtually every cellular process, particularly determination of cell fate in development and regulation of the cell cycle. Although it has long been known that miRNAs bind to mRNAs to trigger translational repression and degradation, there had been much debate regarding their precise mode of action. It is now believed that translational control is the primary event, only later followed by mRNA destabilisation. This review will discuss the most recent advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of miRNA-mediated repression. Moreover, we highlight the multitude of regulatory mechanisms that modulate miRNA function.
自20年前被发现以来，微小RNA（miRNA）已引起生物学各领域的广泛关注。这些短的（约22个核苷酸）非编码RNA分子在进化过程中高度保守，几乎存在于所有真核生物中。它们在几乎每个细胞过程中都发挥着关键作用，尤其是在发育过程中决定细胞命运以及调节细胞周期。尽管长期以来人们都知道miRNA与信使核糖核酸（mRNA）结合以触发翻译抑制和降解，但关于它们的确切作用方式一直存在很多争论。现在人们认为，翻译控制是主要事件，随后才是mRNA的不稳定。本综述将讨论我们对miRNA介导的抑制作用的分子基础的最新认识进展。此外，我们强调了调节miRNA功能的多种调控机制。
