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microRNA

File:3a6p_xpo5_ran_miRNA.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ310899· pop 38· linked from 1,051 articles

Also known as miRNA, microribonucleic acid, microRNAs

thumb|400px|Pre-miRNA instead of Pri-miRNA in the first point of mechanism. Diagram of microRNA (miRNA) action with mRNA thumb|400px|Examples of miRNA hairpins (stem-loops), with the mature miRNAs shown in red

~50 min read

Encyclopedic overview

37 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Nomenclature
  • Targets
  • Biogenesis
  • Transcription
  • Nuclear processing
  • Nuclear export
  • Cytoplasmic processing
  • Biogenesis in plants
  • RNA-induced silencing complex
  • Mode of silencing and regulatory loops
  • Turnover
  • Cellular functions
  • Evolution
  • Experimental detection and manipulation
  • Human and animal diseases
  • Inherited diseases
  • Cancer
  • DNA repair and cancer
  • Heart disease
  • miRNA-712
  • Origin
  • Mechanism
  • Human homolog microRNA-205
  • Kidney disease
  • Nervous system
  • Stroke
  • Alcoholism
  • Obesity
  • Hemostasis
  • Plants
  • Viruses
  • Target prediction
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

thumb|400px|Pre-miRNA instead of Pri-miRNA in the first point of mechanism. Diagram of microRNA (miRNA) action with mRNA thumb|400px|Examples of miRNA hairpins (stem-loops), with the mature miRNAs shown in red

Micro ribonucleic acid (microRNA, miRNA, μRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21–23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals, and even some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miRNAs base-pair to complementary sequences in messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, then silence said mRNA molecules by one or more of the following processes: Cleaving the mRNA strand into two pieces. Destabilizing the mRNA by shortening its poly(A) tail. Reducing translation of the mRNA into proteins.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “microRNA” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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