Bioinformatic algorithms have predicted many microRNA (miRNA) targets known as miRNA response elements (MREs), but studying their relevance in vivo remains challenging. Bassett et al. used genome editing to disrupt endogenous MREs, which allowed them to characterize specific miRNA–target interactions in zebrafish embryos and fruitflies. They also developed a new method to custom-edit MREs in human cell cultures using CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair with short oligonucleotides.
References
Bassett, A. R. et al. Understanding functional miRNA–target interactions in vivo by site-specific genome engineering. Nature Commun. 5, 4640 (2014)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lau, E. Interrogating miRNA–target interactions in vivo. Nat Rev Genet 15, 642 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3824
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3824