Hi there! I search for any information about microRNAs that are complementary to different types of rRNA. Search in databases, such as miRBase, does not work. So i would be grateful for any information.
Although I do not actually know the answer to the question you asked (sorry!), I would like to raise an eyebrow at any miRNAs that are supposed to regulate rRNA. The stoichiometry simply wouldn't work. From my experience, in brain tissue (high miRNA, low RNases), 10 ug of total RNA (i.e. 9 ug rRNA) contains 1 ng miRNA, of which there are several species. Assuming a very abundant miRNA, say 0.9 ng, there is 10,000 less w/w miRNA to rRNA, and it is only ~200 times shorter, so there is at least a 50-fold molar shortage for the miRNA to bind rRNA. And this is before even thinking of other targets for the miRNA, accessibility of rRNA for miRNA binding etc.
I'll be interested to see what other people think - or report!
Dear Anna!
Thank you for your observation! I agree that the interference for rRNA does not really work. However, there is information that siRNA can inhibit the transcription at least of some part of the 5S rRNA in the plant genomes through the IGS methylation.
Article Heterochromatic siRNAs and DDM1 Independently Silence Aberra...
Yuri,
You should look in to Chak et al 2015 ( RNA). There is a deeply conserved miRNA in the ITS-1 of the flies. I am looking into its functionality. and there is another paper miRN712 in mouse that is functional miRNA encoded in ITS-2 of rRNA. They dont regulate rRNA directly atleast from what it is known.
there is no need for a direct interaction. it is possible to induce an rRNA stress response by targeting the small ribosomal proteins. See Cancer Res. 2014 Jun 15;74(12):3218-27. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-1706. Epub 2014 Apr 24.
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