title: Regulation of mammalian gene expression by exogenous microRNAs.
abstract: Communication between cells ensures coordination of behavior. In prokaryotes, this signaling is usually referred to as quorum sensing, while eukaryotic cells communicate through hormones. In recent years, a growing number of reports have shown that small signaling molecules produced by organisms from different kingdoms of nature can facilitate cross-talk, communication, or signal interference. This trans-kingdom communication (also termed as trans-kingdom signaling or inter-kingdom signaling) mediates symbiotic and pathogenic relationships between various organisms (e.g., microorganisms and their hosts). Strikingly, it has been discovered that microRNAs (miRNAs)--single-stranded noncoding RNAs with an average length of 22 nt--can be transmitted from one species to another, inducing posttranscriptional gene silencing in distant species, even in a cross-kingdom fashion. Here, we discuss several recent studies concerning miRNA-mediated cross-kingdom gene regulation.
authors: Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for microRNA Biology and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
authors: Hongwei
authors: H
authors: Liang
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Huang
authors: Jingjing
authors: J
authors: Cao
authors: Ke
authors: K
authors: Zen
authors: Xi
authors: X
authors: Chen
authors: Chen-Yu
authors: CY
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs