Functional Implications of Human-Specific Changes in Great Ape microRNAs.

ABSTRACT: microRNAs are crucial post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression involved in a wide range of biological processes. Although microRNAs are highly conserved among species, the functional implications of existing lineage-specific changes and their role in determining differences between humans and other great apes have not been specifically addressed. We analyzed the recent evolutionary history of 1,595 human microRNAs by looking at their intra- and inter-species variation in great apes using high-coverage sequenced genomes of 82 individuals including gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, chimpanzees and humans. We explored the strength of purifying selection among microRNA regions and found that the seed and mature regions are under similar and stronger constraint than the precursor region.

SUBMITTER: Gallego A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4841587 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature