Small RNAs

These flashcards cover vocabulary related to small RNAs, their function, mechanisms, and applications in gene regulation and therapeutic contexts.

Small RNAs

Small non-coding RNAs or small regulatory RNAs that inhibit gene expression.

RNA silencing

A regulatory mechanism mediated by small RNAs.

miRNAs

MicroRNAs found in animals, plants, and fungi that play a role in gene regulation.

siRNAs

Short interfering RNAs that can come from exogenous and endogenous sources.

piRNAs

Piwi-interacting RNAs found in animal germlines.

Drosha

An RNase that cleaves pri-miRNA to form pre-mRNA in the miRNA processing pathway.

Dicer

An RNase that processes pre-miRNA into mature double-stranded miRNAs.

miRBase

Database containing entries of miRNAs from 271 organisms.

High throughput profiling

Techniques such as microarray-based profiling used for detecting known miRNAs.

Argonaut protein (Ago)

A key component of RISC that interacts with mature miRNA.

RISC

RNA-induced silencing complex that includes guide strand and effector proteins.

3'UTR

Untranslated region of mRNAs where miRNA target sites are often located.

Seed region

The 6mer region of miRNA crucial for base-pairing with mRNA.

TargetScan

A tool that predicts miRNA target sites based on evolutionary conservation.

miRNA mimics

Synthetic oligos that simulate the effects of miRNA overexpression.

Antisense oligonucleotides

Oligos that bind to miRNA strands to inhibit their function.

miRNA sponges

Compounds containing multiple binding sites that can block miRNA function.

Oncomirs

miRNAs that act as oncogenes and promote tumorigenesis.

Tumor suppressors

Genes that inhibit cell proliferation and suppress tumor progression.

Canonical mechanism

The primary process by which siRNA causes gene silencing through mRNA cleavage.

Off-target effect

Unintended gene regulation resulting from the action of siRNAs.

shRNAs

Short hairpin RNAs that induce long-term gene silencing by integrating into the genome.

Transfection

The process of introducing siRNAs into cultured cells.

Gene knockdown

The reduction of gene expression achieved through RNAi techniques.

RdRP

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that amplifies dsRNAs in the RNAi process.

Therapeutic RNAi

Use of small RNA molecules for gene silencing in medical applications.

miRNA target sites

Specific regions in mRNAs recognized by miRNAs for gene regulation.

miRNA database

A repository for sequences and information regarding miRNAs.

Evolutionary conservation

Stability of target binding sites across species used in prediction of miRNA targets.

miRNA biogenesis

The process through which miRNAs are produced from genomic DNA.

Endogenous siRNAs

siRNAs that originate from within an organism's genome.

siRNA-induced silencing

The process through which siRNAs decrease the expression of targeted mRNAs.

mRNA degradation

The process by which mRNA molecules are broken down, often induced by miRNAs.

Complementarity

The degree to which miRNA sequences correspond with mRNA sequences.

Silencing via translational inhibition

A mechanism by which miRNAs suppress protein synthesis from their target mRNA.

Synthetic oligos

Chemically manufactured RNA molecules used in miRNA research.

Gene targets

Specific genes that are regulated by miRNAs or siRNAs.

Functional complementation assay

An experiment to determine if a resistant version of a gene can suppress a phenotype.

Genome-scale libraries

Large collections of RNAi reagents constructed for high-throughput screening.

Long-term silencing

Sustained gene expression repression often achieved by shRNAs.

Viral vectors

Molecular tools used to introduce shRNA genes into cells.

Chemical modifications

Alterations made to oligonucleotides to enhance their stability and effectiveness.

miRNA expression patterns

The specific levels and locations of miRNA expression across different tissues.

miRDB

Database that predicts miRNA targets without considering evolutionary conservation.

Progeny interference

The phenomenon where RNA interference affects future generations.

RNAi pathway

Biological pathway involved in gene silencing by small RNAs.

siRNA reagents

Experimental compounds designed to induce gene knockdown.

Delivery systems

Methods utilized to transport RNAi reagents to target organs during therapy.

Phase I trial

Initial clinical trials assessing the safety of new therapies in humans.

Phase II trial

Studies designed to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment after safety has been established.

Phase III trial

Large-scale trials to confirm the efficacy and monitor side effects of therapies.

Efficacy

The ability of a treatment to produce a desired effect.

Adverse effects

Unwanted side effects resulting from medical treatment.

miRNA regulation

The modulation of gene expression by miRNAs influencing mRNA stability and translation.