MicroRNAs (miRNAs) tagged posts

Hypothalamic stem cells control ageing speed partly through exosomal miRNAs. Nature, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/nature23282

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that stem cells in the brain’s hypothalamus govern how fast aging occurs in the body. The finding, made in mice, could lead to new strategies for warding off age-related diseases and extending lifespan. The hypothalamus was known to regulate important processes including growth, development, reproduction and metabolism. In a 2013 Nature paper, Einstein researchers made the surprising finding that the hypothalamus also regulates aging throughout the body...

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)...