RNA Mediated Gene Regulation Lecture

These flashcards cover key concepts regarding RNA-mediated gene regulation and related mechanisms in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

RNA

Polyribonucleotides made with the bases U, A, G, and C.

Riboswitch

A stem-loop on the 5'-end of bacterial mRNA that modifies translation efficiency by blocking the Shine-Dalgarno sequence.

Antisense RNA (sRNA)

Non-coding regulatory RNA that binds to an mRNA sequence to block its translation.

CRISPR

A prokaryotic defense mechanism that uses an array of sequences to produce crRNA molecules guiding Cas proteins to degrade specific DNA.

MicroRNA (miRNA)

Small, double-stranded RNA that binds to target mRNA to inhibit its translation.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)

Regulatory RNA that is transcribed but not translated, acting as decoys for miRNA binding.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA)

Double-stranded RNA that cleaves complementary mRNA and can initiate transcription silencing of specific genes.

Epigenetics

Modifications to DNA and histones that cause heritable changes in gene expression without altering DNA sequences.

DNA methylation

A common epigenetic modification that inhibits transcription, often occurring on cytosines in CpG pairs.

Genomic imprinting

Differential silencing of alleles depending on their parental origin.