Open AccessDifferential Sensitivity of Target Genes to Translational Repression by miR-17~92
Author(s) -
Hyun Yong Jin,
Hiroyo Oda,
Pengda Chen,
Chao Yang,
Xiaojuan Zhou,
Seung Goo Kang,
Elizabeth R. Valentine,
Jennifer M. Kefauver,
Lujian Liao,
Yaoyang Zhang,
Alicia González-Martín,
Jovan Shepherd,
Gareth J. Morgan,
Tony S. Mondala,
Steven R. Head,
Pyeung-Hyeun Kim,
Nengming Xiao,
Guo Fu,
WenHsien Liu,
Jiahuai Han,
James R. Williamson,
Changchun Xiao
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plos genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.587
H-Index - 233
eISSN - 1553-7404
pISSN - 1553-7390
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006623
Subject(s) - biology , microrna , gene , transcriptome , psychological repression , gene expression , regulation of gene expression , genetics , untranslated region , function (biology) , transgene , computational biology , microbiology and biotechnology , messenger rna
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are thought to exert their functions by modulating the expression of hundreds of target genes and each to a small degree, but it remains unclear how small changes in hundreds of target genes are translated into the specific function of a miRNA. Here, we conducted an integrated analysis of transcriptome and translatome of primary B cells from mutant mice expressing miR-17~92 at three different levels to address this issue. We found that target genes exhibit differential sensitivity to miRNA suppression and that only a small fraction of target genes are actually suppressed by a given concentration of miRNA under physiological conditions. Transgenic expression and deletion of the same miRNA gene regulate largely distinct sets of target genes. miR-17~92 controls target gene expression mainly through translational repression and 5’UTR plays an important role in regulating target gene sensitivity to miRNA suppression. These findings provide molecular insights into a model in which miRNAs exert their specific functions through a small number of key target genes.