title: Towards a molecular understanding of microRNA-mediated gene silencing.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a conserved class of small non-coding RNAs that assemble with Argonaute proteins into miRNA-induced silencing complexes (miRISCs) to direct post-transcriptional silencing of complementary mRNA targets. Silencing is accomplished through a combination of translational repression and mRNA destabilization, with the latter contributing to most of the steady-state repression in animal cell cultures. Degradation of the mRNA target is initiated by deadenylation, which is followed by decapping and 5'-to-3' exonucleolytic decay. Recent work has enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms of silencing, making it possible to describe in molecular terms a continuum of direct interactions from miRNA target recognition to mRNA deadenylation, decapping and 5'-to-3' degradation. Furthermore, an intricate interplay between translational repression and mRNA degradation is emerging.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Izaurralde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D020871:RNA Stability
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs