Study Nearly Triples the Locations in the Human Genome That Harbor MicroRNAs

Paper information and data is available by clicking here.

Several articles have been published this month on our recent paper “Analysis of 13 cell types reveals evidence for the expression of numerous novel primate- and tissue-specific microRNAs“. Click on the links below to read more!

Philadelphia (Newswise) – According to the public databases, there are currently approximately 1,900 locations in the human genome that produce microRNAs (miRNAs), the small and powerful non-coding molecules that regulate numerous cellular processes by reducing the abundance of their targets. New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this week adds another roughly 3,400 such locations to that list. Many of the miRNA molecules that are produced from these newly discovered locations are tissue-specific and also human-specific. The finding has big implications for research into how miRNAs drive disease. Read more on Newswise.

GEN (Number of microRNAs in Human Genome Skyrockets) – MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are tiny but critical regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression that have been linked to various cellular processes and are associated with a number of disease pathologies. However, after more than 20 years since the discovery of the first animal miRNA, the exact number of sequences coding for these regulatory molecules continues to perplex scientists. Read more on GEN News.

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – While information in public databases point to approximately 1,900 locations in the human genome where microRNA are produced, new research out of Thomas Jefferson University indicates that this number is significantly greater. Read more on GenomeWeb.

Or click here to listen to an interview of Dr Isidore Rigoutsos on the same paper!

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