MicroRNA Genes Found to Have Regulatory Role

Following the use of a computational method to identify microRNA (miRNA) genes in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a model system for the investigation of human genetics, researchers report that many of the genes appear to have a role in mediating developmental transitions.

Investigators from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (Cambridge, MA, USA) applied the program, known as MiRscan, together with molecular identification and validation methods, to identify most of the miRNA genes in C elegans. They were able to validate 88 miRNA genes, with no more than 35 genes remaining to be detected or validated. These 88 miRNA genes represented 48 gene families; 46 of these families (comprising 86 of the 88 genes) were found to be conserved in C briggsae, and 22 families to be conserved in humans. More than a third of the worm miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed during larval development, suggesting a role for these miRNAs in mediating larval developmental transitions. These findings were published in the April 13, 2003, issue of Genes and Development.

"MicroRNAs have been controlling the regulation of other genes for a very long time,” explained senior author Dr. David Bartel, a senior researcher at the Whitehead Institute. "Having this extra layer of gene regulation may have enabled the emergence of the multicellular body plans found in both plants and animals. The developmental processes that give rise to an adult plant or animal require a lot of turning on and off of genes.”




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