Miskiewicz J, Tomczyk K, Mickiewicz A, Sarzynska J, Szachniuk M
Institute of Computing Science and European Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland.
Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:6783010. doi: 10.1155/2017/6783010. Epub 2017 Feb 9.
According to the RNA world theory, RNAs which stored genetic information and catalyzed chemical reactions had their contribution in the formation of current living organisms. In recent years, researchers studied this molecule diversity, i.a. focusing on small non-coding regulatory RNAs. Among them, of particular interest is evolutionarily ancient, 19-24 nt molecule of microRNA (miRNA). It has been already recognized as a regulator of gene expression in eukaryotes. In plants, miRNA plays a key role in the response to stress conditions and it participates in the process of growth and development. MicroRNAs originate from primary transcripts (pri-miRNA) encoded in the nuclear genome. They are processed from single-stranded stem-loop RNA precursors containing hairpin structures. While the mechanism of mature miRNA production in animals is better understood, its biogenesis in plants remains less clear. Herein, we present the results of bioinformatics analysis aimed at discovering how plant microRNAs are recognized within their precursors (pre-miRNAs). The study has been focused on sequential and structural motif identification in the neighbourhood of microRNA.
根据RNA世界理论，储存遗传信息并催化化学反应的RNA在当前生物体的形成过程中发挥了作用。近年来，研究人员对这种分子多样性进行了研究，尤其是关注小型非编码调节RNA。其中，特别引人关注的是进化上古老的、19 - 24个核苷酸的微小RNA（miRNA）分子。它已被公认为真核生物中基因表达的调节因子。在植物中，miRNA在应激条件响应中起关键作用，并参与生长和发育过程。微小RNA起源于核基因组中编码的初级转录本（pri-miRNA）。它们由含有发夹结构的单链茎环RNA前体加工而来。虽然动物中成熟miRNA产生的机制已得到更好的理解，但其在植物中的生物合成仍不太清楚。在此，我们展示了生物信息学分析的结果，旨在发现植物微小RNA如何在其前体（pre-miRNA）中被识别。该研究聚焦于微小RNA附近的序列和结构基序识别。
