Abstract

Since the discovery in 1993 of the first small silencing RNA, a dizzying number of small RNA classes have been identified, including microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). These classes differ in their biogenesis, their modes of target regulation and in the biological pathways they regulate. There is a growing realization that, despite their differences, these distinct small RNA pathways are interconnected, and that small RNA pathways compete and collaborate as they regulate genes and protect the genome from external and internal threats.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA

Correspondence to: Phillip D. Zamore¹ Email: phillip.zamore@umassmed.edu

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