When TRBP leaves Dicer at the alt-'ER

The principle underlying miRNA silencing seems rather simple: Dicer is required for the biogenesis of endogenous miRNAs, andmature miRNAs at the RNA-induced silencing complex, RISC, bind to targets bysequence complementary, inhibiting protein expression. However, research shows that there are many degrees of complexity to miRNA regulation. A new study by Antoniou etal that is published in this issue of EMBO Reports explores an interesting neuron-specific facet of miRNA biogenesis. We learn that in neuronal dendrites, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) acts as a regulatory domain for the dynamic encounter of TRBP and Dicer, two proteins required for the biogenesis of miRNAs, thus affecting neuron morphogenesis.