title: MicroRNA: fine-tunes the function of genes in zebrafish.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), 18-25 nt single-stranded RNAs, act as regulators in fine-tuning gene function. The absence of miRNAs is not life-threatening in early embryonic development of Dicer-knockout zebrafish and mice, which may account for genetic expression of various traits as a result of miRNA complexity in higher animals during natural evolution. The Pol-II-mediated intronic miRNA is a useful tool to validate the function of computer-predicated miRNAs in zebrafish and mice.
authors: Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1333 San Pablo Street, BMT-403, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. sying@usc.edu
authors: Shao-Yao
authors: SY
authors: Ying
authors: Shi-Lung
authors: SL
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins