Revealing posttranscriptional regulatory elements through network-level conservation.

ABSTRACT: We used network-level conservation between pairs of fly (Drosophila melanogaster/D. pseudoobscura) and worm (Caenorhabditis elegans/C. briggsae) genomes to detect highly conserved mRNA motifs in 3' untranslated regions. Many of these elements are complementary to the 5' extremity of known microRNAs (miRNAs), and likely correspond to their target sites. We also identify known targets of RNA-binding proteins, and many novel sites not yet known to be functional. Coherent sets of genes with similar function often bear the same conserved elements, providing new insights into their cellular functions. We also show that target sites for distinct miRNAs are often simultaneously conserved, suggesting combinatorial regulation by multiple miRNAs. A genome-wide search for conserved stem-loops, contain

SUBMITTER: Chan CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1309705 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature