CpG Islands as a putative source for animal miRNAs: Evolutionary and functional implications

Dvir Dahary, Reut Shalgi, Yitzhak Pilpel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRs) are considered major contributors to the evolution of animal morphological complexity. Multiple bursts of novel miR families were documented throughout animal evolution, yet, their evolutionary origins are not understood. Here, we discuss two alternative genomic sources for novel miR families, namely, transposable elements, which were previously described, and a newly proposed origin: CpG islands. We show that these two origins are evolutionarily distinct and that they correspond to marked differences in several functional and genomic characteristics. Together, our results shed light on the intriguing origin of one of the major constituents of regulatory networks in animals, miRs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1545-1551
Number of pages7
JournalMolecular Biology and Evolution
Volume28
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2011

Keywords

  • CpG islands
  • animal evolution
  • microRNA

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Genetics
  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Molecular Biology

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