MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be major regulators of eukaryotic gene expression. Traditionally, miRNAs were thought to control highly complex signal transduction and other biological pathways by targeting coding transcripts, accounting for their important role in cellular events. Traditional miRNA biogenesis and function focused on several key enzymes that functioned in miRNA maturation and miRNA inhibitory function upon binding to 3'-untranslated region of target transcripts. However, recent studies have revealed that miRNA biosynthesis and function is complicated, with many exceptions to conventional miRNA mechanisms. In addition to those noncanonical miRNA functions, this review introduces newly discovered biogenesis and regulatory mechanisms, as well as a new class of miRNA-sized small RNA and miRNA methylation. miRNA inhibition and intercellular miRNA signaling are also discussed. Taken together, these insights extend current understanding of miRNAs.
Keywords: RNA inhibition; exosome; miRNA-sized small RNA; microRNA; small RNA.
© 2014 by the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.