MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, 22–25 nucleotide long transcripts that may suppress entire signaling pathways by interacting with the 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR) of coding mRNA targets, interrupting translation and inducing degradation of these targets. The long 3’-UTRs of brain transcripts compared to other tissues predict important roles for brain miRNAs. Supporting this notion, we found th...

immune genes of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) are among the most polymorphic genes in the vertebrate genome. due to their polymorphic nature, they are often used to assess the adaptive genetic variability of natural populations. this study describes the first molecular characterization of 13 partial mhc class iib sequences from three european ranid frogs.  the utility of previously...

INTRODUCTION Despite the established contribution of deregulated microRNA (miRNA) function to carcinogenesis, relatively few miRNA-cancer gene interactions have been validated, making it difficult to appreciate the true complexity of miRNA-cancer gene regulatory networks. RESULTS In this effort, we identify miRNA interactomes of 17 well-established cancer genes, involved in various cancer typ...

RATIONALE The rationale was to utilize a bioinformatics approach to identify miRNA binding sites in genes with single nucleotide mutations (SNPs) to discover pathways in heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVE The objective was to focus on the genes containing miRNA binding sites with miRNAs that were significantly altered in end-stage HF and in response to a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). ME...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that inhibit expression of specific target genes at the post-transcriptional level. Sequence variations in miRNA genes, including pri-miRNAs, pre-miRNAs and mature miRNAs, could potentially influence the processing and/or target selection of miRNAs. In this study, we have found the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the twenty-fourth nucleotide ...

Although strong evidence supports the importance of their cooperative interactions, microRNA (miRNA)-binding sites are still largely investigated as functionally independent regulatory units. Here, a survey of alternative 3΄UTR isoforms implicates a non-canonical seedless site in cooperative miRNA-mediated silencing. While required for target mRNA deadenylation and silencing, this site is not s...

Herein we discuss the impact of microRNA (miRNA) target genetic variability in male infertility genes, which can represent a source of novel molecular-genetic markers that can be used for the diagnosis of male infertility. Male-factor infertility accounts for 30%–40% of infertility cases. The causes of spermatogenetic failure found in most cases of non-obstructive azoospermia or severe oligozoo...

Recent evidence indicate that small non-coding RNA molecules, called micro-RNAs (miRNAs), can bind to the 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of messenger RNAs and interfere with their translation, thereby regulating cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis and tumorigenesis. Genetic polymorphisms can reside on miRNA-binding sites. Thus, it is conceivable that the miRNA regulation may be affected by ...

An increasing body of evidence has indicated that polymorphisms in the miRNA binding site of target gene can alter the ability of miRNAs to bind their target genes and modulate the risk of cancer. We aimed to investigate the association between a miR-520a binding site polymorphism rs141178472 in the PIK3CA 3'-UTR and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in a Chinese Han population. The polymorph...