Two studies have shown that the 3′ ends of more than 25% of microRNAs (miRNAs) in Drosophila melanogaster undergo an extra processing step after loading into Argonaute 1 (AGO1). They found that a 3′-to-5′ exonuclease called Nibbler trims miRNAs. This processing explains the 3′ heterogeneity that was previously observed in miRNAs and reveals that the miRNA repertoire depends on proteins in addition to the known processing proteins Dicer and Drosha.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS
Han, B. W. et al. The 3′-to-5′ exoribonuclease Nibbler shapes the 3′ ends of microRNAs bound to Drosophila Argonaute1. Curr. Biol. 3 Nov 2011 (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.09.034)
Liu, N. et al. The exoribonuclease Nibbler controls 3′ end processing of microRNAs in Drosophila. Curr. Biol. 3 Nov 2011 (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.006)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Muers, M. MicroRNAs are trimmed by Nibbler. Nat Rev Genet 12, 807 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3125
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3125
