miRNAs: Biosynthesis, mechanism of action, and applications in biological systems

IF 1 Q4 GENETICS & HEREDITY

Gene Reports Pub Date : 2025-03-25 DOI:10.1016/j.genrep.2025.102208

Kun Liu, Weiwei Cai

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNA molecules that are ubiquitously distributed across eukaryotic organisms. Through complementary base pairing with target mRNA, miRNAs have been demonstrated to regulate gene expression by inducing gene silencing. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the biosynthesis and pathways of miRNAs, their mechanisms of action in various organisms, and their diverse applications in animal diseases, agriculture, environmental toxicology, drug development, cellular repair, and nutritional sciences. The miRNA gene undergoes a sophisticated processing cascade, involving RNA polymerase, the microprocessor complex, transporter proteins, and Dicer, culminating in the production of mature miRNAs, which are then incorporated into AGO family proteins to form the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). This intricate machinery facilitates gene regulation by either cleaving target mRNA or inhibiting translation. miRNAs are integral to numerous biological processes, including intercellular communication, cell cycle control, immune responses, and host-microbe interactions. Furthermore, in recent years, the practical applications of miRNAs have rapidly expanded, encompassing disease diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, disease prognosis, enhancement of crop resilience to biotic and abiotic stress, environmental toxicology, drug development, cellular repair, and nutritional optimization. These research domains offer substantial promise for advancing our understanding of miRNA-mediated gene regulation and for developing innovative strategies to leverage their therapeutic and commercial potential.

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mirna：生物合成、作用机制及其在生物系统中的应用

MicroRNAs （miRNAs）是一类小的非编码RNA分子，普遍分布在真核生物中。通过与靶mRNA的互补碱基配对，miRNAs已被证明通过诱导基因沉默来调节基因表达。本文综述了mirna的生物合成和途径，在各种生物中的作用机制，以及它们在动物疾病、农业、环境毒理学、药物开发、细胞修复和营养科学中的广泛应用。miRNA基因经历了复杂的级联处理，涉及RNA聚合酶、微处理器复合物、转运蛋白和Dicer，最终产生成熟的miRNA，然后将其结合到AGO家族蛋白中形成RNA诱导沉默复合物（RISC）。这种复杂的机制通过切割靶mRNA或抑制翻译来促进基因调控。mirna是许多生物过程的组成部分，包括细胞间通讯、细胞周期控制、免疫反应和宿主-微生物相互作用。此外，近年来，mirna的实际应用迅速扩大，包括疾病诊断、治疗干预、疾病预后、增强作物对生物和非生物胁迫的抗逆性、环境毒理学、药物开发、细胞修复和营养优化。这些研究领域为促进我们对mirna介导的基因调控的理解以及开发利用其治疗和商业潜力的创新策略提供了巨大的希望。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Gene Reports Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Genetics

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

246

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Gene Reports publishes papers that focus on the regulation, expression, function and evolution of genes in all biological contexts, including all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, as well as viruses. Gene Reports strives to be a very diverse journal and topics in all fields will be considered for publication. Although not limited to the following, some general topics include: DNA Organization, Replication & Evolution -Focus on genomic DNA (chromosomal organization, comparative genomics, DNA replication, DNA repair, mobile DNA, mitochondrial DNA, chloroplast DNA). Expression & Function - Focus on functional RNAs (microRNAs, tRNAs, rRNAs, mRNA splicing, alternative polyadenylation) Regulation - Focus on processes that mediate gene-read out (epigenetics, chromatin, histone code, transcription, translation, protein degradation). Cell Signaling - Focus on mechanisms that control information flow into the nucleus to control gene expression (kinase and phosphatase pathways controlled by extra-cellular ligands, Wnt, Notch, TGFbeta/BMPs, FGFs, IGFs etc.) Profiling of gene expression and genetic variation - Focus on high throughput approaches (e.g., DeepSeq, ChIP-Seq, Affymetrix microarrays, proteomics) that define gene regulatory circuitry, molecular pathways and protein/protein networks. Genetics - Focus on development in model organisms (e.g., mouse, frog, fruit fly, worm), human genetic variation, population genetics, as well as agricultural and veterinary genetics. Molecular Pathology & Regenerative Medicine - Focus on the deregulation of molecular processes in human diseases and mechanisms supporting regeneration of tissues through pluripotent or multipotent stem cells.