piRNAs and their functions in the brain
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2016
Publication Title
International Journal of Human Genetics
Volume
16
Issue
2017-01-02
First page number:
53
Last page number:
60
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are the non-coding RNAs with 24-32 nucleotides (nt). They exhibit stark differences in length, expression pattern, abundance, and genomic organization when compared to micro-RNAs (miRNAs). There are hundreds of thousands unique piRNA sequences in each species. Numerous piRNAs have been identified and deposited in public databases. Since the piRNAs were originally discovered and well-studied in the germline, a few other studies have reported the presence of piRNAs in somatic cells including neurons. This paper reviewed the common features, biogenesis, functions, and distributions of piRNAs and summarized their specific functions in the brain. This review may provide new insights and research direction for brain disorders. © Kamla-Raj 2016.
Keywords
Biogenesis; Brain; Distribution; Function; piRNA
Language
English
Repository Citation
Zuo, L.,
Wang, Z.,
Tan, Y.,
Chen, X.,
Luo, X.
(2016).
piRNAs and their functions in the brain.
International Journal of Human Genetics, 16(2017-01-02),
53-60.