Conservation of Protein Coding and MicroRNA Genes in Vertebrates
Author Information
Author(s): Shaun Mahony, David L Corcoran, Eleanor Feingold, Panayiotis V Benos
Primary Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Hypothesis
How does the conservation in the upstream regions of intergenic microRNA genes compare with that of protein coding genes?
Conclusion
The opossum genome facilitates better estimation of promoter conservation and transcription factor binding site turnover among mammals.
Supporting Evidence
- MicroRNA upstream regions are found to be 34% to 60% more conserved than protein coding genes.
- 41% of known human transcription factor binding sites are located in conserved regions between human and opossum.
- The study introduces a new measure, base regulatory potential rate (BRPR), to assess the efficiency of phylogenetic footprinting.
Takeaway
This study found that the regions controlling microRNA genes are often more conserved than those for protein coding genes, which helps scientists understand how genes are regulated.
Methodology
The study analyzed conservation of intergenic microRNA and protein coding genes across eight vertebrate species using phylogenetic footprinting.
Limitations
The study primarily focuses on intergenic miRNAs and may not fully represent the regulatory mechanisms of all gene types.
Statistical Information
P-Value
6 × 10^-4
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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