Lincd In: Large Intervening Non-Coding RNAs Expand their NetworksJune 25, 2009Last February, a team of standouts from the publication factory in Boston (aka Broad Institute), published work highlighting over 1,500 previously un-annotated genomic sequences that housed large intervening non-coding RNAs known as lincRNAs. These transcripts showed similar expression patterns as mRNA and they exhibited more conservation than neutral sequences, indicating they were probably functional, but […]
Imprints Can Be a Real TurnoffJune 24, 2009For at least 100 genes, only one of its alleles can be expressed right from the get-go while the other allele is shut down. This imprinted pattern remains throughout development. While cis-acting epigenetic elements have been implicated in the process, the research community doesn’t have enough evidence to conclusively pin the blame on any one. […]
tasiRNAs Get the Word OutJune 24, 2009Spreading gossip around the water cooler is OK, but some news just has to be shouted from the mountaintops. These days, that means it’ll be posted to our blog, Twitter feed, and Facebook status box. Researchers at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Institut des Sciences du Végétal, and Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes report […]
Zeroing in on miRNA Targets with HITS-CLIPJune 24, 2009With only a modest, 6-8 nucleotide seed region required for pairing, miRNAs theoretically aren’t too fussy when it comes to which mRNAs they pair up with. But don’t let this apparent “beer goggle” regulation fool you. When it comes down to miRNA binding in vivo, miRNAs might be a little more discriminating than previously suggested. […]
miRNA qRT-PCR Data Normalization Gets MeanJune 23, 2009Although qRT-PCR has become a popular way to profile miRNAs, it has a dirty little secret that nobody likes to talk much about; data normalization. Without convenient “housekeeping genes” to use as internal references, like you would with mRNAs, researchers have had to settle for second rate options to normalize data from miRNA experiments. A […]
