title: The miR-302/367 cluster: a comprehensive update on its evolution and functions.
abstract: microRNAs are a subclass of small non-coding RNAs that fine-tune the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. The miR-302/367 cluster, generally consisting of five members, miR-367, miR-302d, miR-302a, miR-302c and miR-302b, is ubiquitously distributed in vertebrates and occupies an intragenic cluster located in the gene La-related protein 7 (LARP7). The cluster was demonstrated to play an important role in diverse biological processes, such as the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), self-renewal and reprogramming. This paper provides an overview of the mir-302/367 cluster, discusses our current understanding of the cluster's evolutionary history and transcriptional regulation and reviews the literature surrounding the cluster's roles in cell cycle regulation, epigenetic regulation and different cellular signalling pathways.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbu, Lanzhou, 730046 Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Zeqian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbu, Lanzhou, 730046 Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Xueliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbu, Lanzhou, 730046 Gansu, China douyongxi@caas.cn.
authors.forename: Yongxi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C528908:Larp7 protein, human; C568081:MIRN367 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins
keywords: cell cycle; cellular signalling; epigenetic regulation; evolution; miR-302/367 cluster; transcriptional regulation