MicroRNAs and developmental timing
Open accessAbstract
MicroRNAs regulate temporal transitions in gene expression associated with cell fate progression and differentiation throughout animal development. Genetic analysis of developmental timing in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans identified two evolutionarily conserved microRNAs, lin-4/mir-125 and let-7, that regulate cell fate progression and differentiation in C. elegans cell lineages. MicroRNAs perform analogous developmental timing functions in other animals, including mammals. By regulating cell fate choices and transitions between pluripotency and differentiation, microRNAs help to orchestrate developmental events throughout the developing animal, and to play tissue homeostasis roles important for disease, including cancer.
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- Authors
- Ambros, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ambros, Victor
- ORCID
- Ambros, Victor
- Venue
- Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-08
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 511-517
- ISSN
- 0959-437X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3149784
- OpenAlex
- W2152979236
- Cited by
- 314
- References
- 67
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 2.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Current Opinion in Genetics & Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network (American Medical Association) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (R21CA143711)
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM088365, R01GM034028, R01GM066826)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Keywords
- microRNA, developmental timing, lin-4, let-7 microRNA, Caenorhabditis elegans, cell differentiation, pluripotency, temporal gene expression, tissue homeostasis, cancer
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cell Differentiation, Humans, Caenorhabditis elegans, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Cell Lineage, MicroRNAs
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