Potential roles of microRNAs in regulating long intergenic noncoding RNAs.
BACKGROUND
Over 10,000 long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have been identified in the human genome. Some have been well characterized and known to participate in various stages of gene regulation. In the post-transcriptional process, another class of well-known small non-coding RNA, or microRNA (miRNA), is very active in inhibiting mRNA. Though similar features between mRNA and lincRNA have been revealed in several recent studies, and a few isolated miRNA-lincRNA relationships have been observed. Despite these advances, the comprehensive miRNA regulation pattern of lincRNA has not been clarified.


METHODS
In this study, we investigated the possible interaction between the two classes of non-coding RNAs. Instead of using the existing long non-coding database, we employed an ab initio method to annotate lincRNAs expressed in a group of normal breast tissues and breast tumors.


RESULTS
Approximately 90 lincRNAs show strong reverse expression correlation with miRNAs, which have at least one predicted target site presented. These target sites are statistically more conserved than their neighboring genetic regions and other predicted target sites. Several miRNAs that target to these lincRNAs are known to play an essential role in breast cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Similar to inhibiting mRNAs, miRNAs show potential in promoting the degeneration of lincRNAs. Breast-cancer-related miRNAs may influence their target lincRNAs resulting in differential expression in normal and malignant breast tissues. This implies the miRNA regulation of lincRNAs may be involved in the regulatory process in tumor cells.
Center for Biomedical Informatics, Harbin Institute of Technology School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China.
Liran
L
Juan
Guohua
G
Wang
Milan
M
Radovich
Bryan P
BP
Schneider
Susan E
SE
Clare
Yadong
Y
Wang
Yunlong
Y
Liu
D001665:Binding Sites; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000378:metabolism*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
D035683:MicroRNAs; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D012319:RNA Polymerase II