microRNA News and Research

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In genetics, microRNAs (miRNA) are single-stranded RNA molecules of 21-23 nucleotides in length, which regulate gene expression. miRNAs are encoded by genes from whose DNA they are transcribed but miRNAs are not translated into protein (i.e. they are non-coding RNAs); instead each primary transcript (a pri-miRNA) is processed into a short stem-loop structure called a pre-miRNA and finally into a functional miRNA. Mature miRNA molecules are partially complementary to one or more messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, and their main function is to down-regulate gene expression.

UC Davis Study Links Specific microRNAs to Mental and Neurological Disorders

A study in Nature Aging from researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has identified specific microRNAs - non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression within cells - that likely contribute to bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Parkinson's disease.

5 Jun 2025

Extracellular RNA Profiling Recommendations: Results From exRNAQC, a Comprehensive Assessment of Pre-Analytical Factors for Quality Control

A large-scale study (exRNAQC) outlines how blood tube type, RNA purification method, and processing time influence exRNA profiles. Results support new guidelines for researchers and diagnostic product developers working on RNA-based biomarkers.

28 May 2025

New Insights into How MicroRNA Affects Bird Flu in Wildlife

Previously, researchers thought that microRNA was a kind of useless residue in cells and blood. But these tiny threads are far more important than some imagined. Also for those who study wildlife.

19 Feb 2025

Discovery of ALAS1's Secret Role Could Boost Cancer Therapy Development

In everyday life, when things turn out the opposite of what you expect, it's usually cause for frustration. In science, it's often the starting point for discovery.

23 Dec 2024

Tiny RNA Molecule Controls Wing Coloration in Butterflies and Moths

Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) exhibit a splendid diversity of wing color patterns, and many species display black and white, or dark and bright, wing color pattern variants associated with the presence and absence of melanin.

9 Dec 2024

Personalized Mini-Brains Provide Insight into Autism Spectrum Disorder

Using stem cells generated from patients with a rare and severe form of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, Scripps Research scientists have grown personalized "mini-brains" (or organoids) to study the disorder in new detail.

24 Oct 2024

New RNA Molecule Found to Boost Wound Healing

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has identified an RNA molecule that is important for skin wound healing. The research, published in Nature Communications, may have implications for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.

9 Oct 2024

Lipid Nanoparticle-Encapsulated miR-193a-3p Mimic INT-1B3 Boosts Anti-Tumor Immunity

A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on July 12, 2024, entitled, "INT-1B3, an LNP formulated miR-193a-3p mimic, promotes anti-tumor immunity by enhancing T cell mediated immune responses via modulation of the tumor microenvironment and induction of immunogenic cell death."

6 Aug 2024

Study Reveals Strigolactones as Key Regulators of Tomato Flowering

In an article published in the journal PNAS, researchers at the University of São Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil describe for the first time how strigolactones, plant hormones discovered several decades ago, control flowering and fruiting in the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The findings of their study point to a new opportunity for management of fruiting time and could have a significant impact on total yields for this crop.

1 Aug 2024

Novel Microfluidic Device for Rapid Plant Stress Diagnosis via miRNA Detection

In natural environments, plants encounter biotic and abiotic stresses that can significantly affect their productivity and health.

25 Mar 2024

Breakthrough 3D Vascular Sheet Mimics Atherosclerosis for High-Throughput Drug Screening

A groundbreaking 3D, three-layer nanomatrix vascular sheet that possesses multiple features of atherosclerosis has been applied for developing a high-throughput functional assay of drug candidates to treat this disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report in the journal Biomaterials.

16 Jan 2024

Unveiling the Role of Exosomes in Regulating Hepatic Lipid Metabolism

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by an excess accumulation of hepatic lipids, is highly prevalent and can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

12 Dec 2023

Unraveling the Molecular Basis of SIDT1 and SIDT2 in C. elegans

New work thoroughly characterizes the structural features of human SIDT1 and SIDT2, revealing their existence as dimers in vitro and their tendency to form dimers or higher-order oligomers in their natural environment.

23 Nov 2023

Small Amounts of DNA ‘Dance’ to Hasten Disease Diagnosis

Researchers at UMass Amherst have significantly expanded the field of biomedical engineering by developing a novel technique for extremely accurate DNA detection.

4 Oct 2023

Breakthrough Method Uncovers MicroRNA Tasks in Single Cells

Scientists at Stockholm University and SciLifeLab have achieved a groundbreaking feat by creating the first technique capable of unveiling the specific functions that microRNAs carry out within individual cells.

22 Sep 2023

Retrieving RNA from an Extinct Species

New research demonstrates the isolation and sequencing of RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger specimen kept at room temperature in a museum collection over a century ago.

20 Sep 2023

Targeted MicroRNA-34a Therapy Shows Promise in Slowing Tumor Growth in Mice

A new cancer therapy developed by Purdue University researchers attacks tumors by tricking cancer cells into absorbing a snippet of RNA that naturally blocks cell division.

5 Sep 2023

Male and Female Rats Show Different Brain Responses to Enriched Environment

Neurobiologists from Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University found out differences of educability level and processes of formation of spatial memory of adult male and female rats, that live together in large cages and played with toys.

25 Jul 2023

Hair Regrowth with Softening Stiff Hair Follicle Stem Cells with microRNA

According to a recent Northwestern Medicine study, hair follicle stem cells also turn rigid with age, making it harder for them to generate hair, just like people’s joints can stiffen and become more difficult for them to move around.

6 Jun 2023

Inhibiting a Tiny RNA Could Help Improve Immune, Bone, and Muscle Health With Age

Inhibiting a tiny RNA whose levels significantly increase with age, along with problems like weaker bones and sagging muscles, may be a way to keep our bodies more youthful and healthy, scientists say.

3 May 2023