Figure 1. Left: Two zinc fingers in the DROSHA crystal structure. Right: A partial structure of the Microprocessor complex
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important regulator in gene expression, and they play crucial roles in almost all biological contexts including development, differentiation, inflammation, aging, and cancer. In the nucleus, miRNA start their process as a tiny, folded over hairpin structure called primary microRNA (pri-miRNA) and is recognized and processed by the Microprocessor complex, an enzyme arrangement made up of one DROSHA and two DGCR8 proteins. The Microprocessor complex does 2 things: it measures the pri-miRNA then snips off its basal parts, resulting in precursor-microRNA (pre-miRNA)...
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