miRNAs articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Insulin signaling governs many physiological processes but the molecular and neural mechanisms of its regulation are largely unknown. Here the authors describe a novel molecular pathway controlling sNPF regulation of insulin signalling in the fruit fly, which is mediated by the evolutionary conserved miR-9a.

    • Yoon Seok Suh
    • , Shreelatha Bhat
    •  & Kweon Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The activity of melanocytes determines skin pigmentation, and is regulated by a tight dialogue with keratinocytes. Here, the authors show that exosomes released by keratinocytes have a direct effect on melanocyte function, and exosome content is dependent on skin phototype and is modulated by ultraviolet B radiation.

    • Alessandra Lo Cicero
    • , Cédric Delevoye
    •  & Graça Raposo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Response to inflammatory stimuli such as endotoxin is coordinated at many levels. Here, the authors show that two microRNAs known to regulate inflammatory response inside the cell are secreted by dendritic cells and modulate inflammatory signalling in the neighbouring cells.

    • Margaret Alexander
    • , Ruozhen Hu
    •  & Ryan M. O’Connell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MicroRNAs have a role in the acquisition of stem cell-like properties of cancer cells. Here the authors show that microRNA-27b mediates generation of a side-population of breast cancer stem cells, in part by regulating the protein ENPP1, which has been previously linked to the development of diabetes.

    • Ryou-u Takahashi
    • , Hiroaki Miyazaki
    •  & Takahiro Ochiya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Zebrafish is a model system for which for no reliable heritable gene silencing method is available. Here the authors provide a system for heritable miRNA-mediated knockdown and demonstrate tunable silencing of the smn1gene that recapitulate different forms of spinal muscular atrophy.

    • Jean Giacomotto
    • , Silke Rinkwitz
    •  & Thomas S. Becker

  • Article |

    miRNAs are incorporated into ribonucleoprotein complexes called RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs) to exert RNA interference. Here the authors show that translation initiation factor eIF1A interacts with the RISCs component Ago2 to promote miR-451 biogenesis and RNA interference.

    • Tingfang Yi
    • , Haribabu Arthanari
    •  & Gerhard Wagner

  • Article |

    The microRNA miR-21 is overexpressed in cancer and is thought to function through anti-apoptotic activity. Here, Ma et al. show that deleting or blocking miR-21 in mice protects against acute pancreatitis and TNF-α-induced tissue damage by inhibiting RIP3-dependent regulated necrosis (necroptosis).

    • Xiaodong Ma
    • , Daniel J. Conklin
    •  & Yong Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The evolutionarily conserved MTREC complex promotes degradation of meiotic mRNAs and regulatory ncRNAs. Here the authors show that MTREC also targets cryptic unstable transcripts and unspliced pre-mRNAs for degradation by the nuclear exosome, while the TRAMP complex has only a minor role in this process.

    • Yang Zhou
    • , Jianguo Zhu
    •  & Tamás Fischer

  • Article |

    Colorectal cancer (CRC), like many solid tumours, progresses from adenomas to carcinomas in a sequence that leads to metastasis. Here the authors show that miR1269 plays a role in CRC relapse and metastasis by regulating TGF-β activity.

    • Pengcheng Bu
    • , Lihua Wang
    •  & Xiling Shen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Collagen 3 is increased during tendon repair, but is then replaced by Collagen 1 that has superior biomechanical properties. Here the authors show that IL-33 is induced by tendon damage and regulates miR-29a, which controls Collagen 3 production and feeds back on IL-33, orchestrating tendon repair.

    • Neal L. Millar
    • , Derek S. Gilchrist
    •  & Iain B. McInnes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a form of synaptic plasticity that results in enhanced synaptic strength. Here, the authors demonstrate that miR-26a and miR-384-5p affect the maintenance, but not induction, of LTP as well as spine enlargement by regulating the expression of RSK3.

    • Qin-Hua Gu
    • , Danni Yu
    •  & Zheng Li

  • Article |

    As important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, microRNAs play a key role in the generation of complex phenotypes. Here, Huan et al.identify miR-eQTLs in whole blood samples to create a roadmap linking regulation of microRNA expression to complex diseases.

    • Tianxiao Huan
    • , Jian Rong
    •  & Jane E. Freedman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Roquin is an RNA-binding protein that promotes the degradation of specific mRNAs and is crucial for the maintenance of peripheral immune tolerance. Here the authors show that, in addition to its target mRNAs, Roquin can bind miR-146a and the RISC component Ago2 to control homeostasis of both RNA species.

    • Monika Srivastava
    • , Guowen Duan
    •  & Carola G. Vinuesa

  • Article |

    Constitutive photomorphogenic 1 (COP1) plays a key role in photomorphogenesis by destabilizing transcription factors and photoreceptors. Here, Cho et al. show that COP1 also influences the global level of miRNAs in Arabidopsis by protecting the RNA-binding protein HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 from proteolysis by an unknown protease.

    • Seok Keun Cho
    • , Samir Ben Chaabane
    •  & Seong Wook Yang

  • Article |

    Somatic cell reprogramming can induce distinct pluripotent states. Here the authors perform time-resolved small RNA expression profiling during the reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts and observe that distinct miRNA milieus characterise alternate states of pluripotency.

    • Jennifer L. Clancy
    • , Hardip R. Patel
    •  & Thomas Preiss

  • Article |

    microRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression for which the identification of promoter and primary transcripts (pri-miRNAs) has been difficult. Here the authors describe microTSS, an algorithm that supports the precise identification of intergenic pri-miRNA transcription start sites.

    • Georgios Georgakilas
    • , Ioannis S. Vlachos
    •  & Artemis G. Hatzigeorgiou

  • Article |

    Cancer cells often develop resistance to radiotherapy but the molecular mechanisms responsible remain unclear. Here the authors show that miR-205 promotes radiosensitivity and is downregulated in radioresistant subpopulations of breast cancer cells, and that its loss is associated with poor distant relapse-free survival in breast cancer patients.

    • Peijing Zhang
    • , Li Wang
    •  & Li Ma

  • Article |

    The CWO protein is part of a feedback loop that contributes to the high-amplitude circadian oscillation in Drosophila. Here, the authors identify microRNA let-7 as a regulator of circadian rhythm via repression of cwo, and show the circadian expression of let-7 is regulated by ecdysteroid and its receptor.

    • Wenfeng Chen
    • , Zhenxing Liu
    •  & Zhangwu Zhao

  • Article |

    Replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) requires a host RNA molecule, miR-122, whose transient inhibition is being explored as an antiviral therapy. Here, the authors study the interaction between miR-122 and HCV, and identify mutations in HCV strains that affect susceptibility to miR-122 inhibition.

    • Benjamin Israelow
    • , Gavriel Mullokandov
    •  & Matthew J. Evans

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a potentially fatal and often asymptomatic disease whose causes remain unclear. Here the authors show that a microRNA, miR-24, and its target, the glycoprotein chitinase 3-like 1, represent key regulators of AAA development.

    • Lars Maegdefessel
    • , Joshua M. Spin
    •  & Philip S. Tsao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aberrant function of the extracellular matrix receptor dystroglycan is associated with human congenital muscular dystrophies, often associated with brain and eye abnormalities. Here, the authors describe a role for the miRNA miR-310s in regulating dystroglycan expression during Drosophilabrain development.

    • Andriy S. Yatsenko
    • , April K. Marrone
    •  & Halyna R. Shcherbata

  • Article |

    miRNAs regulate a range of biological processes, including the immune response and viral infection. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide miRNA mimic screen and identify a miRNA induced by IRF3 during viral infection that regulates viral–host interactions.

    • Melanie L. Yarbrough
    • , Ke Zhang
    •  & Beatriz M. A. Fontoura

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chronic infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is associated with inflammation and increased risk of gastric cancer. Kiga et al. show that methylation and silencing of the microRNA gene miR-210is associated with infection in humans, and promotes proliferation of gastric epithelial cells in culture.

    • Kotaro Kiga
    • , Hitomi Mimuro
    •  & Chihiro Sasakawa

  • Article |

    Brown fat tissue contributes to organismal energy expenditure due to its thermogenic capacity. Here, the authors identify miR-378 as a specific regulator of brown fat tissue expansion, and suggest that physiological crosstalk between adipose tissue depots leads to a reduction in white fat mass.

    • Dongning Pan
    • , Chunxiao Mao
    •  & Yong-Xu Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Identifying miRNA response elements (MREs) within target mRNAs can be done computationally but the functional validation of putative MREs remains challenging. Here, Bassett et al. describe applications of genome engineering to target and assess the functional significance of MREs in different organisms and stages of development.

    • Andrew R. Bassett
    • , Ghows Azzam
    •  & Tudor A. Fulga

  • Article |

    Skeletal muscle stem cells are in a state of cell cycle arrest in adult skeletal muscles and are stimulated to proliferate and differentiate in response to injury or pathology. Here the authors identify two microRNAs, miR-195 and miR-497, which induce cell cycle arrest in the stem cells and suppress myogenesis.

    • Takahiko Sato
    • , Takuya Yamamoto
    •  & Atsuko Sehara-Fujisawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Wilms tumour (WT) is the most common paediatric kidney cancer and few driver genes related to its development have been identified. Here, the authors identify DROSHAmutations that may contribute to WT tumorigenesis through their effect on primary microRNA processing.

    • Giovana T. Torrezan
    • , Elisa N. Ferreira
    •  & Dirce M. Carraro

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glutathione is a key antioxidant that plays an important neuroprotective role in the brain. Here, Kinoshita et al.show that levels of glutathione exhibit diurnal fluctuations that are indirectly regulated by the microRNA miR-96-5p, and that this microRNA plays a neuroprotective role against oxidative stress.

    • Chisato Kinoshita
    • , Koji Aoyama
    •  & Toshio Nakaki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    microRNAs regulate gene expression and control cell fate and differentiation processes. In this work, Nowak et al. reveal that brain-specific miR-9 is under post-transcriptional control and that the pre-miR-9 binding protein Lin28a decreases the levels of mature miR-9 during retinoic acid-mediated neuronal differentiation.

    • Jakub S. Nowak
    • , Nila Roy Choudhury
    •  & Gracjan Michlewski

  • Article |

    Lipoproteins such as HDL can bind and transport microRNAs throughout the body. Here the authors provide a new mechanism contributing to the anti-inflammatory effects of HDL by which HDL-associated miR-223 is transferred to endothelial cells, where it inhibits expression of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1.

    • Fatiha Tabet
    • , Kasey C. Vickers
    •  & Kerry-Anne Rye

  • Article |

    MicroRNA has been identified to play a role in cancer development, thus its detection at low concentrations would be a highly beneficial diagnostic tool. Here, the authors develop a gel-based bio-barcode assay for microRNA detection using DNA-modified gold nanoparticles, with aM limits of detection.

    • Hyojin Lee
    • , Jeong-Eun Park
    •  & Jwa-Min Nam

  • Article |

    Tetraploid cotton contains two homoeologous genes GhMYB2A and GhMYB2D but their regulation is unclear. Here, GhMYB2D is shown to accumulate to higher levels than GhMYB2Aduring fibre initiation, and is a target of two microRNAs, generating ta-siRNAs, suggesting a role for microRNAs in the divergence of duplicate genes and fibre trait.

    • Xueying Guan
    • , Mingxiong Pang
    •  & Z. Jeffrey Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Non-coding RNAs have recently emerged as crucial regulators of gene expression. Here Rutnam et al.identify a pseudogene complementary to the 3′-UTR of the TUSC2 tumour suppressor that regulates TUSC2 levels by acting as a decoy for endogenous microRNAs and thereby inhibits tumorigenesis.

    • Zina Jeyapalan Rutnam
    • , William W. Du
    •  & Burton B. Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage when metastasis has already occurred. In this study, Parikh et al.show that mir-181a is involved in mediating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in ovarian cancer, leading to activation of the TGF-β signalling pathway and metastasis.

    • Aditya Parikh
    • , Christine Lee
    •  & Analisa DiFeo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cells secrete micro-RNAs by packaging them into exosomes; however, the mechanisms by which this packaging occurs are unclear. Here, the authors identify a sequence motif that confers exosomal targeting to micro-RNAs and identify a ribonucleoprotein complex that plays a role in this process.

    • Carolina Villarroya-Beltri
    • , Cristina Gutiérrez-Vázquez
    •  & Francisco Sánchez-Madrid

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