SmithRNAs: A Common Feature among Metazoa.

ABSTRACT: SmithRNAs are a novel class of small noncoding RNAs that are encoded in the mitochondrial genome and regulate the expression of nuclear transcripts. They have been recently described in the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum and their biological function has been confirmed in vivo. It is currently unclear whether smithRNAs are a unique feature of this species, possibly related to the peculiar mechanism of sex determination observed in bivalves, or a common feature of Metazoa. Aiming at a broader survey on the presence and biological features of smithRNAs across Metazoa, 14 species were selected to represent major lineages, and for each species small RNAseq data, as well as the transcriptome, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, were collected from the literature or sequenced/assembled de no

SUBMITTER: Marturano G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628786 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature