Li Yiqian, Hui Jerome H L
Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, School of Life Sciences The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong City Hong Kong.
Evol Appl. 2022 Jul 19;16(2):354-364. doi: 10.1111/eva.13445. eCollection 2023 Feb.
As fundamental components of RNA silencing, small RNA (sRNA) molecules ranging from 20 to 32 nucleotides in length have been found as potent regulators of gene expression and genome stability in many biological processes of eukaryotes. Three major small RNAs are active in animals, including the microRNA (miRNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), and PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA). Cnidarians, the sister group to bilaterians, are at a critical phylogenetic node to better model eukaryotic small RNA pathway evolution. To date, most of our understanding of sRNA regulation and its potential contribution to evolution has been limited to a few triploblastic bilaterian and plant models. The diploblastic nonbilaterians, including the cnidarians, are understudied in this regard. Therefore, this review will present the current-known small RNA information in cnidarians to enhance our understanding of the development of the small RNA pathways in early branch animals.
作为RNA沉默的基本组成部分，长度在20到32个核苷酸之间的小RNA（sRNA）分子已被发现是真核生物许多生物过程中基因表达和基因组稳定性的有效调节因子。动物体内有三种主要的小RNA发挥作用，包括微小RNA（miRNA）、小干扰RNA（siRNA）和PIWI相互作用RNA（piRNA）。刺胞动物是两侧对称动物的姐妹类群，处于一个关键的系统发育节点，有助于更好地模拟真核生物小RNA途径的进化。迄今为止，我们对sRNA调控及其对进化的潜在贡献的大部分理解都局限于少数三胚层两侧对称动物和植物模型。在这方面，包括刺胞动物在内的双胚层非两侧对称动物研究较少。因此，本综述将介绍刺胞动物中目前已知的小RNA信息，以增进我们对早期分支动物小RNA途径发育的理解。
