Brief Summary

miRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that are thought to regulate expression of target genes either, as in Caenorhabditis elegans, by blocking translation through annealing to the 3' UTR of the mRNA or, as in some cases in Arabidopsis thaliana , by directing degradation of the target mRNA. The first miRNA identified was the C. elegans lin-4 miRNA which acts in the pathway of temporal patterning . We identified the second miRNA, C. elegans let-7, that also acts in the temporal patterning pathway, and showed that it and the complementarity in its target gene is conserved in a wide range of species including Drosophila and human. Several hundred miRNAs have since been identified in mammals, fly, worm, and plants. So far, about 20% of the miRNAs are conserved among nematodes, flies and mammals, suggesting ancient roles in gene regulation.

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