Small RNAs derived from longer non-coding RNAs

Abstract

Posttranscriptional gene regulation by small RNAs and its crucial impact on development, apoptosis, stem cell self-renewal and differentiation gained tremendous scientific attention since the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) and microRNAs (miRNAs). However, in the last few years, many more examples for regulatory small RNAs were discovered, some of them even with miRNA-like functions. Even though these small RNA molecules were previously thought to be mere artifacts accumulating during the preparation of RNA libraries, advances in sequencing technology revealed that small RNAs derive from hairpin-fold RNA structures, for example. Mirtrons, short hairpin RNAs or small RNAs that are processed from longer non-coding RNAs such as tRNAs or snoRNAs have been found recently and some of them might be involved in the regulation of gene expression in different organisms. Furthermore, small RNAs originating from transposable elements, heterochromatic regions or convergent transcription units forming endogenous short interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs) are the somatic equivalents of the germline-specific Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in mediating transposon silencing. This review will focus on several recent findings that have added new aspects to small RNA-guided gene silencing.