MicroRNA Discovery and Gene Regulation
• Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Physiology, or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA, small RNA regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes.
• MicroRNAs play a crucial role in gene regulation posttranscription, a process that occurs before cellular machinery is activated for protein production.
• Previously, gene regulation was limited to transcription factors, but microRNAs have shown that regulation occurs at a later stage in gene expression.
• The discovery of another microRNA in a gene present in all organisms indicates that microRNA’s role in gene regulation extends beyond roundworms.
• By 2001, microRNAs were abundant in invertebrates and vertebrates, suggesting that microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation is a general regulatory function.
• Dysregulated microRNA expression is associated with cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.
• Dysregulated microRNAs affect the biological capabilities of cancer cells during tumor development.
• Certain microRNAs can serve as potential biomarkers for human cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic targets.
• Disruption and dysfunction of microRNAs can initiate the production of autoantibodies and contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.