Lesson 8 Flashcards
describe the central dogma in depth:
dna which can be replicated, is transcribed into RNA which is translated into proteins that are major players in regulating gene transcription
non-coding dna consists of what elements?
repetitive sequences (repetitive DNA and transposomes) and dna coding for noncoding RNA (long and small)
what are three types of small non-coding RNA?
miRNA, ribozymes, and tRNA
what does RNA interference lead to?
RNA silencing pathways
what does it mean when RNA silencing pathways are triggered?
negative regulation on gene expression
describe the origin of small interfering RNAs (siRNA):
endogenous or exogenous with respect to the cell they act on
what is the origin of miRNAs?
endogenous (cellular products) → any cells and somatic cells
what is the origin of Piwi-interacting RNAs?
endogenous → only germline cells
where was RNA interference first discovered?
C. elegans
the regulation of gene expression comes from an interaction within the genome at what level?
the level of DNA or chromatin modifications
what are most of the fundamental processes regulated by, such as development, differentiation, and cancer?
proteins together with microRNAs
why does the level of gene expression by RNA interference not occur at the level of initiation of transcription like with repressors?
mRNA is already transcribed but will not be expressed
are miRNAs endogenous or exogenous?
endogenous → small guide RNAs that repress the expression of target genes
how to miRNAs differ from siRNAs?
in biogenesis but not function
where are miRNAs abundant?
in ssRNA
describe the effect of miRNAs on mRNA:
one miRNA can regulate many different mRNAS
what does the presence of multiple binding sites for different miRNAs at the 3’ UTR determine?
that several different miRNAs can target the same 3’ region, meaning that each mRNA can be regulated by different miRNA
what two things does the complex regulation of miRNAs allow for?
for combinatorial control and system abundancy
how does the complex regulation of miRNAs allow combinatorial control?
more than one miRNA can regulate the same mRNA
how doest the complex regulation of miRNAs allow system abundance?
losing one miRNA due to mutation or deletion does not impact the regulation of the genes as there are many other that can get the job done
what is the structure of miRNAs?
21-24 nt regulatory RNAs with a hairpin secondary structure
list some functions of miRNA:
participate in the regulation of many important processes such as the regulation of signaling pathways, apoptosis, metabolism, development, cancer → they are important as well as proteins for the regulation of gene transcription at the post-transcriptional level
since an miRNAs mechanism of action is based on matching, what can occur?
the targets in the genome can be predicted by sequencing them
what are two roles of miRNA in biological processes?
help to confer robustness to transcriptional programs operated by regulatory proteins and since they do not interfere with the product, their role can also be to regulate aberrant transcripts in the cell
at what point during development does miRNA expression increase?
during embryonic development
in animals, what correlation has been found with miRNA?
the more complex the organism, the more diverse the miRNA populaiton