Published in: RNA, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 171-175 (February, 2004).
http://www.rnajournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/171?etoc

"Complementary miRNA pairs suggest a regulatory role for miRNA:miRNA duplexes".

Eric C. Lai, Colin Wiel,  and Gerald M. Rubin

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, California 94720-3200, USA

Reprint requests to: Eric Lai, H. Hughes Medical Inst., Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology, 545 Life Sciences Addition, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA;
e-mail:   lai@fruitfly.org


Abstract:

microRNAs (miRNAs) are 21–22-nucleotide noncoding RNAs that are widely believed to regulate complementary mRNA targets. However, due to the modest amount of pairing involved, only a few out of the hundreds of known animal miRNAs have thus far been connected to mRNA targets. Here, we considered the possibility that miRNAs might regulate non-mRNA targets, namely other miRNAs. To do so, we conducted a systematic assessment of the nearly complete catalogs of animal miRNAs for potential miRNA:miRNA complements. Our analysis uncovered several compelling examples that strongly suggest a function for miRNA duplexes, thus adding a potential layer of regulatory sophistication to the small RNA world. Interestingly, the most striking examples involve miRNAs complementary to members of the K-box family and Brd-box family, two classes of miRNAs previously implicated in regulation of Notch target genes. We emphasize that patterns of nucleotide constraint indicate that miRNA complementarity is not a simple consequence of miRNA:miRNA* complementarity; however, our findings do suggest that the potential regulatory consequences of the latter
also deserve investigation.
Keywords: microRNA; miRNA; miRNA*; RNA duplex


Additional References:

1. Persengiev SP, Zhu X, and Green MR, "Nonspecific, concentration-dependent stimulation and repression of mammalian gene expression by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)".

2. Lai E, "RNA Sensors and Riboswitches: Self-Regulating Messages".

3. Frenster JH, "Nuclear Ribosomes and RNA-RNA Duplexes".

4. Kronenberg LH,  and Humphreys T, "Double-Stranded Ribonucleic Acid in Sea Urchin Embryos".

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