Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of endogenous non-protein-coding small RNAs, which negatively regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level in many developmental and metabolic processes. miRNAs regulate a variety of biological processes, including developmental timing, signal transduction, tissue differentiation and maintenance, disease, and carcinogenesis. Emerging evidence demonstrates that miRNAs also play an essential role in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Some miRNAs are specifically expressed in stem cells, control stem cell self-renewal, and differentiation through negatively regulating the expression of certain key genes in stem cells.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 266-269 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Cellular Physiology |
Volume | 209 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2006 |