The presence of a complex population of mRNAs in human mature spermatozoa is well documented; among them, transcripts of aromatase and ERs (oestrogen receptors) have been described but their significance is not clear. Therefore, to clarify the role of this complex population of mRNAs in human ejaculated sperm, we have isolated on discontinuous density gradients two main fractions from the same ...

A long and ever-expanding roster of small (∼20-30 nucleotides) RNAs has emerged during the last decade, and most can be subsumed under the three main headings of microRNAs (miRNAs), Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Among the three categories, miRNAs is the most quickly expanded group. The most recent number of identified miRNAs is 16,772 (Sanger miRbase, Apri...

BACKGROUND The RNase III endonuclease Dicer is an important regulator of gene expression that processes microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The best-characterized function of miRNAs is gene repression at the post-transcriptional level through the pairing with mRNAs of protein-encoding genes. Small RNAs can also act at the transcriptional level by controlling the epigenetic s...

Noncoding small RNAs have emerged as important regulators of gene expression at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Particularly, microRNA (miRNA)-mediated translational repression involving PIWI/Argonaute family proteins has been widely recognized as a novel mechanism of gene regulation. We previously reported that MIWI, a murine PIWI family member, is required for initiating ...

Abstract Prenatal exposure to toxic agents, including cadmium (Cd), can alter offspring immune cell development and function. As Cd does not readily cross the placenta, it is hypothesized that prenatal alters epigenetic programming of genes non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). We found increases CD4 +T proliferation following activation this phenotype dependent on upregulation an oncogenic long RNA (lncRN...