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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene output by targeting degenerate elements in mRNAs and have undergone drastic expansions in higher metazoan genomes. The evolutionary advantage of maintaining copies of highly similar miRNAs is not well understood, nor is it clear what unique

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene output by targeting degenerate elements in mRNAs and have undergone drastic expansions in higher metazoan genomes. The evolutionary advantage of maintaining copies of highly similar miRNAs is not well understood, nor is it clear what unique functions, if any, miRNA family members possess. Here, we study evolutionary patterns of metazoan miRNAs, focusing on the targeting preferences of the let-7 and miR-10 families. These studies reveal hotspots for sequence evolution with implications for targeting and secondary structure. High-throughput screening for functional targets reveals that each miRNA represses sites with distinct features and regulates a large number of genes with cooperative function in regulatory networks. Unexpectedly, given the high degree of similarity, single-nucleotide changes grant miRNA family members with distinct targeting preferences. Together, our data suggest complex functional relationships among miRNA duplications, novel expression patterns, sequence change, and the acquisition of new targets.

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    Title
    • Evolutionary Patterns of Metazoan MicroRNAs Reveal Targeting Principles in the Let-7 and miR-10 Families
    Contributors
    Date Created
    2016-12-07
    Resource Type
  • Text
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    Identifier
    • Digital object identifier: 10.1101/gr.209361.116
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      1088-9051
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      1549-5469
    Note
    • The final version of this article, as published in Genome Research, can be viewed online at: http://genome.cshlp.org/content/early/2016/12/07/gr.209361.116.abstract

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    This is a suggested citation. Consult the appropriate style guide for specific citation guidelines.

    Wolter, J. M., Le, H. H., Linse, A., Godlove, V. A., Nguyen, T., Kotagama, K., . . . Mangone, M. (2016). Evolutionary patterns of metazoan microRNAs reveal targeting principles in the let-7 and miR-10 families. Genome Research, 27(1), 53-63. doi:10.1101/gr.209361.116

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