Widespread changes in protein synthesis induced by microRNAs

Animal microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation and/or by inducing degradation of target messenger RNAs. It is unknown how much translational control is exerted by miRNAs on a genome-wide scale. We used a new proteomic approach to measure changes in synthesis of several thousand proteins in response to miRNA transfection or endogenous miRNA knockdown. In parallel, we quantified mRNA levels using microarrays. Here we show that a single miRNA can repress the production of hundreds of proteins, but that this repression is typically relatively mild. A number of known features of the miRNA-binding site such as the seed sequence also govern repression of human protein synthesis, and we report additional target sequence characteristics. We demonstrate that, in addition to downregulating mRNA levels, miRNAs also directly repress translation of hundreds of genes. Finally, our data suggest that a miRNA can, by direct or indirect effects, tune protein synthesis from thousands of genes.     

Discoveries and functions of virus-encoded MicroRNAs

Virus-encoded microRNAs （miRNAs） are a new kind of miRNAs that regulate the expression of target gene in host cells or viruses through inducing cleavage of mRNA, repressing translation, etc., and change the processes of host cells or replicate viruses to escape or resist immune surveillance of host and protect viruses themselves. It has become a hot topic to discover viral genes encoding miRNAs and their target genes, and to identify their functions. This review provides background information on the history of virally encoded miRNAs including their genomic distribution, functions and mechanisms. In addition, we discuss the similarities and differences between virus- and host-encoded miRNAs, the future directions of researches in viral miRNAs and their applications in diseases control and therapy.     

Correlation of microRNAs responding to high dose γ-irradiation with predicted target mRNAs in HeLa cells using microarray analyses

An increasing data indicates that altered microRNAs （miRNAs） participate in the radiation-induced DNA damage response. However, a correlation of mRNA and miRNA profiles across the entire genome and in response to irradiation has not been thor- oughly assessed. We analyzed miRNA microarray data collected from HeLa cells after ionizing radiation （IR）, quantified the ex- pression profiles of mRNAs and performed comparative analysis of the data sets using target prediction algorithms, Gene Ontol- ogy （GO） analysis, pathway analysis, and gene network construction. The results showed that the altered miRNAs were involved in regulation of various cellular functions, miRNA-gene network analyses revealed that miR- 186, miR- 106b, miR- 15 a/b, CCND 1 and CDK6 played vital role in the cellular radiation response. Using qRT-PCR, we confirmed that twenty-two miRNAs showed differential expression in HeLa cells treated with IR and some of these miRNAs affected cell cycle progression. This study demonstrated that miRNAs influence gene expression in the entire genome during the cellular radiation response and suggested vital pathways for further research.     

基于Gene Ontology的MicroRNA功能聚类

MicroRNA(miRNA)的许多生物过程是通过影响靶基因的转录后表达.miRNA与靶标之间的互补程度和性质决定其基因调控作用.结构相似性可以作为一个强有力的方法推断分子功能的相似性.然而,结构比对的方法来度量miRNA之间的相似性通常不太准确,而且时间开销大.对这些表达差异的miRNA的靶标基因进行聚类,可以很好地理解miRNA的功能.提出一个新的GO(gene Ontology)语义相似性的方法来区分miRNA功能组.该方法采用项信息和边的权重来度量GO项的权重.此外,2个GO图的共同项和非共同项还被用来度量这2个图之间的相似度.对于2个miRNA,它们之间的相似性可以用它们靶标基因标注的GO项的相似性来计算.实验结果表明此方法不仅可以将相似功能的miRNA聚在一起,而且可以预测未知miRNA的功能.     

A viral microRNA functions as an orthologue of cellular miR-155

All metazoan eukaryotes express microRNAs (miRNAs), roughly 22-nucleotide regulatory RNAs that can repress the expression of messenger RNAs bearing complementary sequences. Several DNA viruses also express miRNAs in infected cells, suggesting a role in viral replication and pathogenesis. Although specific viral miRNAs have been shown to autoregulate viral mRNAs or downregulate cellular mRNAs, the function of most viral miRNAs remains unknown. Here we report that the miR-K12-11 miRNA encoded by Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) shows significant homology to cellular miR-155, including the entire miRNA 'seed' region. Using a range of assays, we show that expression of physiological levels of miR-K12-11 or miR-155 results in the downregulation of an extensive set of common mRNA targets, including genes with known roles in cell growth regulation. Our findings indicate that viral miR-K12-11 functions as an orthologue of cellular miR-155 and probably evolved to exploit a pre-existing gene regulatory pathway in B cells. Moreover, the known aetiological role of miR-155 in B-cell transformation suggests that miR-K12-11 may contribute to the induction of KSHV-positive B-cell tumours in infected patients.     

A pancreatic islet-specific microRNA regulates insulin secretion

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a growing class of non-coding RNAs that are thought to regulate gene expression by translational repression. Several miRNAs in animals exhibit tissue-specific or developmental-stage-specific expression, indicating that they could play important roles in many biological processes. To study the role of miRNAs in pancreatic endocrine cells we cloned and identified a novel, evolutionarily conserved and islet-specific miRNA (miR-375). Here we show that overexpression of miR-375 suppressed glucose-induced insulin secretion, and conversely, inhibition of endogenous miR-375 function enhanced insulin secretion. The mechanism by which secretion is modified by miR-375 is independent of changes in glucose metabolism or intracellular Ca2+-signalling but correlated with a direct effect on insulin exocytosis. Myotrophin (Mtpn) was predicted to be and validated as a target of miR-375. Inhibition of Mtpn by small interfering (si)RNA mimicked the effects of miR-375 on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and exocytosis. Thus, miR-375 is a regulator of insulin secretion and may thereby constitute a novel pharmacological target for the treatment of diabetes.     

Bioinformatics study indicates possible microRNA-regulated pathways in the differentiation of breast cancer

microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be associated with the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer.However,little is known about the pathways through which miRNAs regulate these processes,e.g.,the interaction between miRNAs and their target genes with regard to different pathological status of breast cancer,such as histological grades.This study investigated the possible roles of miRNAs in the differentiation of histological grades of breast cancer with a computational approach.Based on a microar...     

影响口腔癌发生潜在MicroRNAs的生物信息学分析

为获得口腔癌组织和正常组织之间差异表达的miRNAs,从分子水平研究相关的miRNAs在肿瘤发生发展中的作用,从GEO数据库筛选并下载口腔癌及正常组织的基因芯片,运用GEO2R工具分析筛选口腔癌与正常组织间的差异表达miRNAs. 采用FunRich软件对将所得差异miRNAs进行GO功能注释、KEGG信号通路分析. 通过对GSE124566和GSE113956两个芯片数据进行分析,分别筛选得到109、1 079个差异表达miRNAs,分别包括41、673个上调基因和68、406个下调基因,筛选得到共同差异表达miRNAs有30个,其中上调16个,参与的生物过程主要有细胞间通讯等,细胞成分主要有细胞核等,分子功能主要有转录因子活性等;下调14个,参与的生物过程主要有信号转导等,细胞成分主要有细胞质等,分子功能主要有转录因子活性等. 通过对口腔癌芯片数据的生物信息学分析,发现30个差异表达miRNAs是口腔癌发生、发展的重要miRNAs,囊泡介导的转运,核苷酸的代谢等过程. 最后预测出了13 796个靶基因,并通过PPI互作分析筛选出了联系最紧密的10个靶基因.     

大豆降解组文库microRNAs的启动子分析

研究目的：创新要点：通过分析miRNA的核心启动子和顺式作用元件为进一步解析大豆（Glycinemax）miRNAs表达调控及其功能研究提供重要信息。利用生物信息学方法全面解析了大豆降解组文库miRNA的启动子特征,并依据顺式作用元件及靶基因构建了miRNA的表达与生长素响应因子、赤霉素响应因子之问存在潜在的负反馈调控网络。研究方法：本研究利用TSSP程序和PlantCARE数据库预测了来自大豆降解组文库的440个miRNA的核心启动子以及369个miRNAs的顺式作用元件,并依据顺式作用元件及靶基因构建miRNA调控网络。重要结论：83．86％的miRNA在其上游序列中含有启动子,8．64％的miRNA在其下游序列中含有启动子,21．59％的miRNA包含增强子。核心启动子的TATA盒与转录起始位点（TSSs）的分布相似（见图2）。此外,对转录起始位点5’端的顺式作用元件预测为miRNAs的可能功能和表达的时空性提供了线索。miRNAs的顺式作用元件和靶基因的分析显示,部分miRNA的表达与生长素响应因子、赤霉素响应因子之间存在潜在的负反馈调控（见图3）。