The Evolution of Human microRNAs and Their Repression Effectiveness
Author Information
Author(s): Huang Yong, Gu Xun
Primary Institution: Iowa State University
Hypothesis
More conserved human microRNAs have higher apparent repression effectiveness on target genes compared to less conserved microRNAs.
Conclusion
More conserved microRNAs are generally more effective at repressing their target genes, indicating an evolutionary trend towards controlling more targets.
Supporting Evidence
- More conserved miRNAs have significantly higher repression effectiveness on target genes.
- The apparent repression effectiveness measure allows for a better understanding of miRNA function in evolution.
- Control analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings across different datasets and expression cutoffs.
Takeaway
This study shows that some tiny molecules in our cells, called microRNAs, are better at controlling genes when they have been around longer in evolution.
Methodology
The study analyzed the apparent repression effectiveness (ARE) of human microRNAs across different tissues using gene expression data.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reliance on specific databases for miRNA target predictions.
Limitations
The study only included human microRNAs that are conserved at least in mouse, which may not represent all human microRNAs.
Participant Demographics
Human microRNAs were analyzed, with a focus on those conserved in metazoan species.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0203
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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